Otter Won’t Try to Stop Same-Sex Marriage Decision

BOISE (KTVB) -- Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter released a statement Tuesday afternoon indicating he does not plan to take emergency legal action to try to stop same-sex marriage before goes into effect Wednesday.

A 9th Circuit Court ruling has cleared the path for gay couples to wed beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Otter said in a statement that although he still opposes the court's decision, he has exhausted his options in the court to postpone the marriages.

Last week, a Supreme Court stay halted the issuance of marriage licenses moments before they were handed out to Idaho gay couples.

Otter's statement is below.

"The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued its mandate for enforcement of decisions overturning the Idaho Constitution's prohibition on same-sex marriage effective at 10 a.m. MDT, 9 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, October 15. I continue to believe that the federal courts are mistaken in abandoning the sanctity of traditional marriage and in undermining the will of Idaho voters and each state's right to define marriage. But we are civil society that respects the rule of law. We have done all we can through the courts for now to defend traditional marriage in Idaho."