I never thought I’d see this happen in Utah.

Thursday’s federal court ruling that overturned Utah’s ban on marriage equality sent the Republican Party into RED ALERT mode, as you might imagine, and they filed an EMERGENCY motion for a temporary stay the next day. Today that emergency request was denied.

This is what panicky losers look like. And it’s not going to get better for them, because the days when powerful, unscrupulous reactionaries could demonize and exploit entire classes of human beings are going away, slowly but surely.

Immediately following the ruling, same-sex couples fled to the county clerk’s office to receive marriage licenses. But Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) denounced the decision, threatening to take action to appeal the ruling.

“I am very disappointed an activist federal judge is attempting to override the will of the people of Utah,” Herbert said of the Thursday ruling. “I am working with my legal counsel and the acting attorney general to determine the best course to defend traditional marriage within the borders of Utah.”

The 10th Circuit Appeals Court denied the governor’s emergency request “without prejudice.”

“Because the motion before us does not meet the requirements of the Federal or local appellate rules governing a request for a stay, we deny the motion,” the court held.