Arguments Delayed on Nevada Gay Marriage

A federal appeals court has postponed oral arguments on the challenge to Nevada's gay marriage ban just hours after it had set the hearing for April 9.

An order issued late Monday said arguments to be heard by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco would be rescheduled. No date was given.

Eight gay couples represented by Lambda Legal are challenging Nevada's constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2002 that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. A federal judge in Reno upheld the law in 2012, prompting the appeal.

Hearings are set for April before the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on challenges to laws prohibiting same-sex marriage in Utah and Oklahoma.

Legal battles over gay marriage are being waged across the nation.