Snippets: Stay Granted in Va.; SCOTUS Ice Bucket Challenge?

The U.S. Supreme Court has stayed the Fourth Circuit's decision in the Virginia gay marriage case, which means licenses won't be handed out to same-sex couples tomorrow. Anyone surprised by this? Thought so. And despite a national trend toward increased support for same-sex marriage, at least one state is still staunchly opposed. Any guesses? And finally, who wants to see a Supreme Court justice dump a bucket of ice water on his or her noggin? (Answer: We all do!)

Unsurprising: Stay Granted in Va. Same-Sex Marriage Case

As we (and pretty much everyone) predicted, the Supreme Court issued a stay in the Virginia same-sex marriage case. Why was this completely and utterly foreseeable? Because the Court issued a stay in the Utah case earlier, and this is the same stuff, different climate. The order notes that Chief Justice Roberts forwarded the request to the entire Court, which issued a stay pending the filing of a cert. petition. The stay lasts until either the petition is rejected or the Court issues a merit-based decision. The former seems unlikely, so if you're looking to plan a same-sex marriage in Virginia, you might want to look at July wedding dates, just in case the decision is held until the end of the next term (as most controversial decisions typically are).

Poll: Majority of Utahns, Mormons Don't Support Gay Marriage

In other unsurprising news, a recent poll found the majority of Utahns were against gay marriage. Why is this unsurprising? As The Salt Lake Tribune notes, "Utah's population is about 60 percent Mormon, and the LDS faith is opposed to same-sex marriage. The UtahPolicy poll found that 88 percent of respondents who identified themselves as 'very active' Mormons opposed gay marriage." The poll, which had a margin of error of 4.9 percent, found that Utahns overall were 61 percent opposed to gay marriage, while only 29 percent support it. The state's ban on gay marriage was passed in 2004 by 66 percent of voters. At least in Utah, public opinion doesn't seem to have changed much over the past decade. Compare that local poll with the findings of a national Gallup poll from earlier this year: 55 percent were in favor of gay marriage, while 42 percent were opposed. Interestingly enough, 10 years ago, the numbers were reversed, with 55 percent opposed and 42 percent in favor.

Ice Bucket Challenge: Which SCOTUS Justice Should Do It?

Reuters' Lawrence Hurley asked an interesting question on Twitter earlier today: "Who's going to be the first Supreme Court justice to do the ice bucket challenge?" The most popular response seems to be Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who despite her advanced age, is a badass who does pushups and has a personal trainer. Others quipped about Scalia's cold-bloodedness and Thomas' likely (silent) reaction. We're going to rephrase the question and toss out our own poll: Who would you like to see do the Ice Bucket Challenge? We doubt any of them would do it, but how much fun would it be to see, say, Justice Clarence Thomas break from his usual serious and reserved demeanor? Mark your choice in our poll below! #qpmain130751 .qpbtna:hover input {background-color:rgb(99,185,255)!important} Related Resources:

• 3 Questions: 1972 Gay Marriage Case, Circuit Split, Stay for Va.? (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
• Obama's 2nd-Term SCOTUS Nomination Odds: A Closer Look (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
• SCOTUS Refers Death Penalty Lawyer to Pa. Disciplinary Board (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)