I'm sorry I was ever snarky about an Erik Eckholm column, because his piece on Pennsylvania today has some really good stuff in it that hasn't been noted in the diaries on marriage equality in Pennsylvania that are up.
First, Judge Jones didn't issue a stay. Marriages may begin in Pennsylvania immediately (meaning tomorrow afternoon) as long as Corbett doesn't appeal to the Circuit Court for a stay. People are in line for marriage licenses already.
Second, Eckholm notes that the arguments advanced by the state-hired lawyers haven't worked in the courts for a while, because
a succession of federal judges, now including Judge Jones in Pennsylvania, have instead relied on the Supreme Court’s finding last year that same-sex marriage bans were fueled by animus and inflicted stigma on gay and lesbian families.
The ground has indeed shifted.
Finally, Jones noted how MUCH it has shifted. His ruling said:
We now join the 12 federal district courts across the country, which, when confronted with these inequities in their own states, have concluded that all couples deserve equal dignity in the realm of civil marriage.
CRITICAL MASS!!!!!!
It can only get better as we wind our way to the 2105-2016 session of SCOTUS.