Couple Asks that Gay Marriages Proceed in SC

Attorneys for a same-sex couple from Charleston have asked a federal appeals court to allow such marriages to proceed in South Carolina.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel last week threw out the state's constitutional ban on same sex marriage.

Attorney General Alan Wilson then asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, to put the order on hold. Wilson said that allowing gay marriage to proceed would cause irreparable damage to South Carolina.

Attorneys for Colleen Condon and Nichols Bleckley, who are suing to get married, filed a response late Sunday.

They said there should be no hold on the marriages because, among other things, Wilson has not shown the state's appeal is likely to succeed and has not shown South Carolina will suffer irreparable harm.

This story is part of our special report: "Gay Marriage". Want to read more? Here's the full list.