Federal Judge Denies Bryant’s HB 1523 Request

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A federal judge has denied a request by Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to allow a law that protects religious objections to same-sex marriage to take effect during an appeal.

U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves, who blocked the law hours before it would have taken effect July 1, made the ruling Monday.

Bryant and the director of Mississippi’s Department of Human Services are appealing Reeves’ original decision. They could now ask the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to let the law take effect.

The law’s opponents had asked Reeves to leave his preliminary injunction in effect during any appeal, saying Bryant hasn’t shown any proof his appeal will succeed. They say the law would cause immediate harm to same-sex couples, transgender people, and people who’ve had sex outside marriage.