Same sex marriage in Indianapolis

Craig Bowen and Jake Miller became the first gay couple to obtain a marriage license in
Indiana on Wednesday, just hours after U.S.

District Court Judge Richard L. Young struck down the state's same-sex marriage ban. But
they could be among the last if the state's Attorney General's Office has its way.

"The Indiana Attorney General's Office is analyzing the court's rulings … and will communicate with county clerks on proper
marriage license procedures they should follow in order to avoid chaos during the appeal," the
state's AG said Wednesday.

"The Attorney General's Office previously announced it will file
an appeal in the event of such a ruling, and will quickly ask for a stay."

Same-sex marriage supporters would like to see Indiana follow Pennsylvania, where Republican
Gov. Tom Corbett chose in May not appeal a ruling that struck down his state's ban on same-
sex marriage, despite his personal opinion on the matter.

But the landscape of the marriage debate in the U.S. is complicated . Indiana is a
more conservative state, and the court could comply with the AG's request to reinstitute the
ban until an appeals process is completed, which could take months.

This is where the U.S. currently stands on marriage equality. Same-sex marriage is banned in the red states by law or the state's constitution, or both.

The green states recognize
same-sex marriage. The yellow states provide partial recognition. As of Wednesday Indiana is green, but it switch back to red if the state's Attorney General's request for a stay is granted.

Marriage Equality USA"A stay could be issued at any time," Stuart Gaffney, spokesman for the advocacy group Marriage Equality USA, told International
Business Times Wednesday.

"If you can imagine being in that situation in Indiana right now,
you're saying to yourself, 'This could be my one chance to get married.'"

Some judges have issued stays on their own marriage rulings because they don't want to
open the floodgates to gay marriage only to see couples have their status put in question later should they be reversed on appeal.

But more judges are now doing what Young did on Wednesday: declined to issue these stays, forcing the state to request them.

As of Wednesday afternoon local time, Indiana county clerks were issuing marriage licenses and
in some cases even announcing they would stay open after hours to fill the demand, according
to local media reports.

For now, Indiana has become the 20th state to recognize same-sex marriage, but the fight there is not over. Meanwhile Wednesday, a panel of the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver struck down Utah's constitutional ban
on same-sex marriage, but in that case it issued a stay that keeps marriage equality off the
books in Utah pending any challenges.

The court could decide to maintain the stay until the U.S.
Supreme Court takes on the issue at a national level -- which could be as soon as the opening of
its next session in October.