Justice Thomas: Court signals support for gay marriage

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Justice Clarence Thomas is criticizing his Supreme Court colleagues for refusing to block same-sex marriage in Alabama until the court resolves the issue nationwide in a few months.

Thomas said in a dissenting opinion Monday that the court's Alabama order could be seen as a signal that the justices already have decided they will declare that gay and lesbian couples have a right to marry under the Constitution.

The court often freezes lawsuits in place when they raise the same issue the court already has agreed to decide. Since October, the justices have repeatedly turned away state requests to keep same-sex marriages from taking place until appeals are resolved.

Alabama's plea is the first since the court stepped into the issue last month.

Justice Antonin Scalia joined Thomas' dissent.

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