An emergency appeal to stop a District of Columbia gay marriage law from taking effect Wednesday was denied by Chief Justice John Roberts late Tuesday afternoon.
Roberts says it is the practice of the Supreme Court to defer to the rulings of D.C. courts matters that are of local concern. He also notes that Congress with its authority to overrule D.C. laws within 30 days has refused to do so.
Roberts writes that “while these considerations are of course not determinative of the legal issues, they do weigh against granting petitioners’ request for a stay…”