FARGO, N.D. (AP) - A federal judge in North Dakota has put a lawsuit challenging the state's ban on same-sex marriage on hold pending a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
U.S. District Chief Judge Ralph Erickson filed an order Tuesday staying the case brought by seven same-sex couples in June. The lawsuit challenges both North Dakota's ban on gay marriage and its refusal to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples who legally wed in other states.
Last week the Supreme Court announced that it will decide whether same-sex couples have a right to marry everywhere in America under the Constitution.
The justices will take up gay-rights cases that ask them to overturn bans in four states. The cases will be argued in April, and a decision is expected by late June.