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Arkansas Supreme Court Suspends Ruling Allowing Gay Marriage

Same-sex marriage is off again in Arkansas.

The state's Supreme Court on Friday suspended a lower court's decision striking down a 2004 ban on gay marriage. So, no more marriage licenses will be issued to same-sex couples — at least for now.

Last week, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Chris Piazza voided the state's gay-marriage ban but left in place another law that prohibited county clerks from issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

But on Thursday, Piazza expanded his ruling to also eliminate the prohibition on issuing licenses.

On Friday, however, the state Supreme Court "granted a request to put on hold" the Circuit Court's ruling pending appeal on a request from Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, The Associated Press reports.

The AP says:

"Pulaski County, the state's largest, had resumed issuing same-sex marriage licenses immediately after Piazza's ruling Thursday, while Washington County began issuing them again Friday morning.

"More than 450 same-sex couples received Arkansas marriage licenses since Piazza's ruling last week."

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Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.