Replies

It’s not just Texas where this is going to be an issue.

Here are three articles about a deputy clerk in my county (first from a conservative Christian magazine, then a response from a liberal organization, and then the Christian magazine editor’s response with links to other coverage).

http://www.worldmag.com/2015/04/a_clerks_struggle

https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/clerk-s-conundrum-mo-official-says-she-will-not-issue-marriage-licenses-to

http://www.worldmag.com/2015/04/americans_united_for_firing_christians

This could blow up in our county soon. A homosexual couple tried to get a marriage license on Friday in our county and was denied. We’ll see what happens Monday.

Our state governor is a Democrat who (if media reports are correct) has told our state’s circuit court clerks to issue gay marriage licenses. That means our clerks cannot expect the protections which a Texas clerk may have.

Personally I’m conflicted on this issue. The clerks are administrative officials; I’m not at all sure we want them making policy or refusing to enforce laws. I sympathize with the argument that a Mennonite or Quaker clerk might refuse to issue gun permits, or a Muslim clerk might refuse to issue a liquor license. The difference is that in those cases, the voters would probably throw the clerk out of office in most counties. In our county, I have little doubt that a clerk who ran on a “no gay marriage” platform could win by a landslide.

To make matters more complicated, the supervisor of the deputy clerk profiled in this article is a conservative Democrat who has served for years, generally got re-elected by large margins, just last November won re-election by a large majority over a Republican, and was almost the only local Democrat to win last fall. I have no idea what she will do beyond defending her staff’s religious convictions. The elected circuit court clerk is herself a Southern Baptist, for whatever it may be worth, and many of her deputy clerks are evangelicals.

My guess is that sooner or later one of the deputy clerks in our county will agree to do the paperwork, but it may take some time to find one willing to do so.