Free Republic

Five deputy county clerks in Rowan County, Kentucky — the scene of the first major courthouse battle over a conflict between the Supreme Court’s view on same-sex marriage and religious objections to it — told a federal judge that they will start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Friday morning. They did so after the judge sent the county clerk herself to jail for contempt of court, and threatened her deputies with the same fate. But even the judge conceded that those licenses, if issued, may not be valid, although he refused to decide that issue and left it...

Southern states including Alabama, Mississippi and Texas are trying to find legal ways to avoid the Supreme Court’s ruling that legalized same-sex marriage across the United States. Christian News Network reports Mississippi is considering removing state marriage licenses entirely. State House Judiciary Chairman Andy Gipson said, “One of the options that other states have looked at is removing the state marriage license requirement. We will be researching what options there are. I personally can see pros and cons to that. I don’t know if it would be better to have no marriage certificate sponsored by the state or not. But...

Assuming a pending bill in Alabama makes it all the way into law, we’re about to see an unusual test case in the marriage wars. Rather than arguing over the definition of marriage for the purposes of issuing licenses, the Heart of Dixie is moving to do away with marriage licenses entirely and replace them with contracts. Right now, if you want to get married you go to the courthouse and the probate judge gives you a marriage license.Attorney Jake Watson explains, “[SB377] does away with that and requires parties to enter into a contract and file it at...

A Roseville couple who refused to sign their marriage license because new forms didn't use the terms bride and groom have settled their lawsuit with the state, their attorney said. The couple sued claiming their rights had been violated. Now, the attorney for Rachel and Gideon Codding says the state has agreed to accept the couple's marriage license and agreed to pay for attorney's fees. Attorney Steven Wood on Wednesday called it a clear victory for the Coddings and common sense. "The state's previous rejection of the marriage license caused the Coddings considerable anguish, as well as financial harm," said...

In 1999, Komal Zaheer married Asim Haroon at the Islamic Foundation in west St. Louis County, an event that she says is preserved in a certificate from the mosque. The next year, someone filed documents with the government claiming that Asim Haroon's brother, Ali Haroon, had married Zaheer in Pakistan.