Utah, who also advised "compassion" for those who objected to the ruling: "The change that this represents will cause them heartache, frustration and a feeling that our country is going in the wrong direction." The Attorney General's office appealed the ruling to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and sought an emergency stay to prevent additional licenses from being issued to same-sex couples. The Tenth Circuit rejected the requested motion for a stay on December 22 "[b]ecause the motion before us does not meet the requirements of the federal or local appellate rules governing a request for a stay". On December 23, Shelby denied a request for a stay, and the Tenth Circuit denied the state's second emergency motion for a temporary stay. On December 24, the Tenth Circuit again denied the state's request for a stay. On December 31, the state asked the U.S. Supreme Court to issue a stay, which it granted on January 6, pending a decision by the Tenth Circuit. On January 9, Attorney General Sean Reyes advised county clerks to complete processing marriage licenses for same-sex couples whose marriages were solemnized "prior to the morning of January 6". The state announced that under the stay it would return to enforcing Utah's ban on licensing and recognizing same-sex marriages. On January 10, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the federal government would recognize the 1,360 same-sex marriages that had been performed in Utah prior to the stay. Several attorneys general of states that had already legalized same-sex marriage announced they would recognize the Utah marriages. According to rules issued on January 15 by the Utah Tax Commission, a same-sex couple who file a joint federal income tax return can file a joint return for their Utah income taxes as well. On January 16, the Utah Attorney General's office announced it had hired Gene C. Schaerr, a veteran litigator in state and federal appellate courts, to assist in its defense of Utah's ban on same-sex marriage. Oral arguments in the case were heard on April 10, 2014. On June 25, the Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court's decision, but also stayed implementation of its decision, pending a further appeal or certiorari. "The Fourteenth Amendment protects the fundamental right to marry, establish a family, raise children, and enjoy the full protection of a state's marital laws," the court wrote in its 2–1 ruling. "A state may not