Utah's Supreme Court lifted its stay on same-sex adoptions Thursday, two weeks after the state dropped its legal fight over the issue.
In May, the state's high court placed a hold on several district judges' rulings that ordered the Utah Department of Health to issue birth certificates to same-sex couples who were adopting children. The stay halted any movement on the issue until judges could decide whether or not the adoptions were legal under state law.
Thursday's ruling clears the way for those adoptions to proceed.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court declined to review rulings allowing same-sex marriage in a number of states, including Utah. The decision allowed same-sex marriages to begin in the state, and county clerks across the state began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples that day.
Shortly after the Supreme Court decision, the Utah attorney general's office asked to drop its appeal of a federal ruling ordering Utah to allow same-sex spouses to receive full marital benefits. State officials also asked the state Supreme Court to lift its stay on the same-sex adoption orders.
"There is no longer any need for clarification about what the status of these marriages is," Utah Solicitor General Bridget Romano said, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. "We're going to go ahead and comply with the law."
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