Roy Moore Backtracks: Court Order Doesn’t Stop Gay Marriage In Alabama

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, Roy Moore, speaks to the congregation of Kimberly Church of God, Sunday, June 28, 2015, in Kimberley , Ala. Moore lashed out at the U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized sam... Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, Roy Moore, speaks to the congregation of Kimberly Church of God, Sunday, June 28, 2015, in Kimberley , Ala. Moore lashed out at the U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, saying said the decision was against the laws of nature. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) MORE LESS
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After causing confusion on Monday by stating that an Alabama Supreme Court order would stall gay marriage in the state for 25 days, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore walked back his statement.

“In no way does the order instruct probate judges of this State as to whether or not they should comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling,” Moore said in a Monday statement clarifying his earlier remarks, according to The Auburn Plainsman.

On Monday, the Alabama Supreme Court issued an order stating that the parties in the same-sex marriage case decided by the Supreme Court have 25 days to file a petition to rehear the case. Moore then told AL.com that the order keeps probate judges in Alabama from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples for 25 days.

Human Rights Campaign Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said on Monday that Moore’s initial interpretation was incorrect.

Moore later told AL.com that while the order does not prohibit probate judges from issuing gay marriage licenses, they will not be forced to issue the licenses in the next 25 days.

The chief justice is a vehement opponent of gay marriage and has a knack for creating chaos regarding same-sex marriage in the state. When a federal court ruled in February that the Alabama ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, Moore and the Alabama Supreme Court ordered probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

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