Utah will be required to recognize gay marriages performed during the short period that they were legal in the state, a federal judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Judge Dale A. Kimball is ordering Utah Gov. Gary Herbert to recognize more than 1,200 same-sex marriages that were performed during a 17-day period beginning Dec. 20, 2013, when a court ruling briefly overturned the state's ban on gay marriage.

On Jan. 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Utah attorney general's office a stay of the ruling while the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals reviews the case, halting the issuance of marriage certificates to same-sex couples.

"Governor Gary Herbert and Attorney General Sean Reyes shall immediately recognize the marriages by same-sex couples entered pursuant to Utah marriage licenses issued and solemnized between December 20, 2013, and January 6, 2014, and afford these same-sex marriages all the protections benefits and responsibilities given to all marriages under Utah law," Kimball ruled.

Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, echoed the judge's sentiments in a Monday statement.