Ninth Circuit blocks new Calif. weddings for now

Same-sex couples planning to wed in California this week were dealt a blow Monday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit stayed a lower court ruling overturning Proposition 8. The ruling means the state's ban on gay and lesbian couples marrying remains in effect, at least until the court rules on an appeal of Judge Vaughn Walker's landmark decision to overturn the marriage ban. The court also put the case on a fast track and informed proponents of the ban that they must explain why they have legal standing to appeal. A Ninth Circuit panel will take up the case beginning the week of Dec. 6