Australian high court reserves decision on same-sex marriage law

The Australian High Court said it has reserved its decision on the federal government's challenge to the Australian Capital Territory's same-sex marriage laws. The government is challenging whether the marriage laws are consistent with the Federal Marriage Act. The court said it will hand down its decision next week, and same-sex weddings will be allowed to take place in Canberra until then, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Australia's first same-sex marriages are to take place Saturday, and 47 couples have completed paperwork so far. "I'm sure couples will welcome the fact that the law will come into operation and that they can marry under the law, albeit, with the prospect that there is some risk to those ceremonies because of the uncertainty surrounding the High Court case until we receive the court's judgement," ACT Attorney General Simon Corbell said.