Hundreds of gay couples marry in Utah; 6 counties refuse to abide marriage ruling
Tue. December 24, 2013 12:48 PM by OnTopMag.com
Salt Lake City, UT -
Despite uncertainty and some rejection, about 700 gay and lesbian couples in Utah tied the knot between Friday and Monday.
Euphoric gay couples began flooding county clerk offices on Friday after U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby ruled the state's gay marriage ban invalid.
In his 52-page ruling, Shelby declared Amendment 3, the state's 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment which limits marriage to heterosexual unions, in violation of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
State attorneys on Friday and again on Monday attempted to block implementation of the decision. But neither the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver nor Shelby would agree to a stay.
During a hearing on Monday that lasted more than 2 hours, Shelby questioned why the state waited to file a request for a stay and was clearly agitated when the state recycled arguments that Shelby had already denied.
Shelby also stated that counties that refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples are violating the law.
Of the state's 29 counties, only six had yet to announce plans to begin issuing such licenses as of late Monday. They are Box Elder, Cache, Juab, Piute, San Juan and Utah.Cache County closed its doors on Monday, saying in a statement that it needed to "sort out the legal issues and confusion in the wake of Judge Shelby's decision."
According to Salt Lake City's KSL, Utah County Clerk Auditor Bryan E. Thompson was served with a lawsuit for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
A third day of uncertainty awaits same-sex couples looking to wed on Tuesday, Christmas Eve, as the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals considers the state's request for a stay in the ruling as the state's appeal in the case moves forward.
UPDATE: Cache County on Tuesday began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
Euphoric gay couples began flooding county clerk offices on Friday after U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby ruled the state's gay marriage ban invalid.
In his 52-page ruling, Shelby declared Amendment 3, the state's 2004 voter-approved constitutional amendment which limits marriage to heterosexual unions, in violation of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
State attorneys on Friday and again on Monday attempted to block implementation of the decision. But neither the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver nor Shelby would agree to a stay.
During a hearing on Monday that lasted more than 2 hours, Shelby questioned why the state waited to file a request for a stay and was clearly agitated when the state recycled arguments that Shelby had already denied.
Shelby also stated that counties that refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples are violating the law.
Of the state's 29 counties, only six had yet to announce plans to begin issuing such licenses as of late Monday. They are Box Elder, Cache, Juab, Piute, San Juan and Utah.Cache County closed its doors on Monday, saying in a statement that it needed to "sort out the legal issues and confusion in the wake of Judge Shelby's decision."
According to Salt Lake City's KSL, Utah County Clerk Auditor Bryan E. Thompson was served with a lawsuit for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.
A third day of uncertainty awaits same-sex couples looking to wed on Tuesday, Christmas Eve, as the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals considers the state's request for a stay in the ruling as the state's appeal in the case moves forward.
UPDATE: Cache County on Tuesday began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine