Appeals Court stays ruling striking down Mississippi's gay marriage ban; expedites case

New Orleans, LA - The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday stayed a ruling striking down Mississippi's ban on gay marriage that was set to take effect next week.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves struck down Mississippi's ban, saying that the 2004 amendment to the Mississippi Constitution violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Without the intervention of the Fifth Circuit, Reeves' temporary stay was set to expire on December 9.

While that's a win for the state, the court also agreed to expedite the case and assigned it to the same 3-judge panel set to consider similar challenges to bans in Texas and Louisiana next month. The hearing comes nearly 11 months after a federal judge declared Texas' ban invalid.