BREAKING: Schwarzenegger Files Motion To Immediately Resume Gay Marriages

WOW. The governator has totally done the unexpected.

In an extraordinary court filing, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked Friday that gay marriages be allowed to resume immediately in California after a federal ruling that the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. The Republican governor filed his brief with U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker before a Friday deadline to submit arguments on whether to continue a stay of Walker's decision against Proposition 8. "The Administration believes the public interest is best served by permitting the Court's judgment to go into effect, thereby restoring the right of same-sex couples to marry in California," wrote Kenneth C. Mennemeier, an attorney representing Schwarzenegger, in the brief. "Doing so is consistent with California's long history of treating all people and their relationships with equal dignity and respect."

UPDATE: Attorney General Jerry Brown has filed a motion opposing an extension of Judge Walker's stay.
2010.08.06 AG. Opp to Def Mtn for Stay

UPDATE II: Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights has posted the below explanation of what might happen next.

Minter notes that several California counties have indicated their readiness to begin issuing marriage licenses and performing civil ceremonies at once.