deny the issuance of a marriage license to two persons, or refuse to recognize their marriage, based solely upon the sex of the persons in the marriage union." On August 5, the Utah Attorney General's office asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case. On October 6, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Utah's appeal without comment, allowing the Tenth Circuit to lift its stay. In response, Governor Herbert and Attorney General Reyes announced that Utah would comply with the decision of the Supreme Court and swiftly advised state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages. Evans v. Herbert Once a stay was granted in Kitchen, Utah returned to its practice of denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples and it no longer recognized the validity of those marriages established by same-sex couples in Utah while Judge Shelby's ruling was in effect in December 2013 and January 2014. On January 21, 2014, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought suit on behalf of four same-sex couples married in Utah during that period, raising concerns about the impact of Utah's action on their adoption, parenting, and health care rights. On May 19, U.S. District Court Judge Dale A. Kimball ruled in Evans v. Herbert that Utah must recognize the same-sex marriages performed in Utah the previous December and January. On June 4, the state appealed Judge Kimball's ruling before it took effect. The Tenth Circuit announced on July 11 it would not issue a permanent stay while the state appealed Kimball's decision. The state asked the U.S. Supreme Court to issue the stay, and on July 18 Justice Sonia Sotomayor, after referring the question to the other members of the court, granted the stay pending resolution of the case by the Tenth Circuit. In August, the Tenth Circuit granted the state's request for an additional month to file its appeal, setting October 22 as the deadline. After the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Kitchen, Utah officials asked the Tenth Circuit to dismiss its appeal in this case, ending its attempt to deny recognition to the December/January same-sex marriages. The order and permanent injunction was issued on November 24, 2014 by the United States District Court for Utah, Central Division. Developments after legalization On March 11, 2015, the Utah House of Representatives passed legislation known as Senate Bill 297 by a 66–9 vote. The bill provides an exemption for individuals, religious officials, religious organizations,