us supreme court building  Alex Wong / Getty  The U.S. Supreme
Court on Monday temporarily blocked a judge's order that allowed
for gay marriage in Utah.  That order will keep the state's ban
on same-sex marriage alive until a federal appeals court has a
chance to rule on the judge's decision.  U.S. District Court
Judge Robert J. Shelby ruled last month that the state's gay
marriage ban was unconstitutional.   The state began handing out
marriage licenses after the judge's ruling, but now gay couples
will have to put their wedding plans on hold. If the 10th
Circuit Court of Appeals affirms the judge's ruling, then gay
marriage will be legal in Utah. It's likely that whichever side
loses its case in Utah will ask the Supreme Court to weigh in on
the constitutionality of gay marriage.  If the U.S. Supreme
Court accepts the Utah case, it could be the first opportunity
for the high court to decide whether bans on gay marriage are
constitutional.  While the Supreme Court heard two huge gay
marriage cases last term