Gay marriages remain on hold*

Judge Vaughn Walker has decided to keep gay marriages on hold until at least Aug. 18, giving opponents of his landmark ruling to overturn Proposition 8 time to appeal their case to the Ninth Circuit.

*Update: Here's how the Los Angeles Times reports it:

A federal judge Thursday refused to permanently stay his ruling overturning Proposition 8 but extended a temporary hold to give supporters time to appeal the historic ruling.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker, who overturned the measure on Aug. 4, agreed to give its sponsors until Aug. 18 to appeal his ruling to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. No new marriages can take place until then.

Walker's decision came after supporters of the same-sex marriage ban warned that they would take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary to ensure that his ruling did not take effect.