Appeals Judges To Hear Oklahoma, Utah Gay Marriage Cases

Appeals of same-sex marriage rulings from Oklahoma and Utah will be heard by the same panel of federal judges.

The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order Tuesday saying the briefing and hearings will remain separate in the two cases.

Federal judges in both states recently overturned same-sex marriage bans passed by voters in 2004.

Both cases are on expedited schedules. A decision on Utah's ruling is expected in a few months.

More than 1,000 gay couples married in Utah after a judge overturned the state's ban in late December. The U.S. Supreme Court halted the weddings on Jan. 6 when it granted the state an emergency stay.

In Oklahoma, there were no weddings because a judge granted a stay at the same time he issued the ruling.