An Alabama minister was sentenced to six months’ probation on Monday after she attempted to perform a gay marriage inside an Alabama probate judge’s office, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
In February, Anne Susan Diprizio offered to perform a marriage ceremony for a gay couple who has just received their marriage license in the Autauga County probate judge’s office.
The probate judge’s office had stopped allowing ceremonies in the office. When Diprizio repeatedly refused to leave, Probate Judge Al Booth called the police, who arrested her for disorderly conduct.
“I’m glad this is over and we can put this behind us,” Diprizio said after she was sentenced and fined $250, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.
A federal judge struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban in February, prompting probate judges to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. In March, Alabama Supreme Court justices halted gay marriage licenses in the state, defying the federal court order. In May, a federal judge ruled that gay couples in Alabama can marry, but she put the ruling on hold until the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage.
H/t ThinkProgress
This article is rather misleading. Her arrest and sentencing had nothing to do with the gay marriage and everything to do with trespassing and refusing to leave when told to. The couple she offered to marry didn’t ask her to come. The judge had already given them their license. But she wanted to make a scene and demanded to do the marriage on the spot. They don’t do any sort of marriages in that office, gay or not. So her refusal to leave was trespassing. So please, TPM, don’t try to make this case about gay marriage. That is purely incidental.
Hey, the sun’s come up again, where’s the next GOP presidential candidate?
You wouldn’t’a clicked on the article had it said, “Somebody got probation for disorderly conduct.”
Here’s picture of the Judge, kinda looks like he’d fit in a Deliverance movie,
Or a daily cheap gin guzzler!
The Autauga County Probate Office DOES perform civil marriage ceremonies as a matter of fact, my sister-in-law was married by Judge Cordy Taylor (previously Autauga County Probate Judge). I don’t have first hand information on the other accounts as you may, but your statement about the probate office not officiating any sort of marriages is patently false.