Appeals court blocks resumption of same-sex marriages in California

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has blocked same-sex marriages in California while it is considering an appeal of a lower-court judge's ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

Last week, District Court Judge Vaughn Walker had cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT unless the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals intervened.

Update at 7:08 p.m. ET: The marriages will be on hold until at least December, a three-judge panel of the court ruled. The judges will hold a hearing Dec. 6.

(Published by USA Today - August 16, 2010)