MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge in Alabama has ordered Mobile County to start issuing gay marriage licenses.
U.S. District Judge Callie Granade made the ruling after a brief hearing Thursday.
Granade overturned the state’s ban on gay marriage last month and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to stop gay marriages from beginning Monday.
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore issued an 11th hour order telling probate judges in the state they didn’t have to hand out licenses, causing confusion. Many probate judges, including the one in Mobile County, refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
Some judges wouldn’t give out licenses to anyone, including heterosexual couples.
Hundreds of gay couples have wed in Alabama this week, the 37th state to allow same-sex marriages.
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Why only one county? That seems odd. Why not make clear this applies to all counties in the State?
Only one county’s Probate Judge was challenged in the most recent lawsuit. Hopefully, now that Judge Granade has made it clear to that one, the others will accept that it also applies to them. What’s truly amazing is that any of them must be court-ordered to do what their oath of office says they will do and “uphold the Constitution of the United States.”
More good news from Alabama today.
Presbyterians vote to allow same sex marriage
The Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, a central Alabama group of churches affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), voted 75-39 Thursday in favor of approving gay marriages.
They became one of about 38 presbyteries nationwide that have voted in favor of gay marriage, with 14 voting against. The change to the 1.8-million-member denomination’s official stance will become official if 81 of the 171 presbyteries vote in favor.
Episcopal Bishop of Alabama:
Bishop Kee Sloan, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, voted in favor of a new ritual of blessing for same-sex unions that the Episcopal Church approved during its 2012 General Convention.
At the time, he said he wouldn’t allow blessings of same-sex unions in Alabama churches. It was too divisive and the state wasn’t ready, he said. Now, Alabama is ready, he said. “I just needed to wait for the right time,” Sloan told AL.com.
http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2015/02/real_smiles_real_tears_episcop.html
Thanks for the 'splainer. You’re right though, they’re all slow-walking the inevitable.
They have to follow procedure. Don’t want to give the bigots something that they can appeal.