Legal News

County Clerks in California Closing Doors on Marriage Ceremonies

By Jamie Heller

In a development that suggests courts can only take things so far, some county clerks offices in California are closing their doors to civil marriage ceremonies — a move they say is not related to the California Supremes’s same-sex marriage decision but which follows it timing wise.

Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, celebrates as she holds a copy of the court order outside of the California State Supreme Court building in San Francisco, May 15, 2008, after the Court ruled in favor of the right for same sex couples to wed. (Credit: AP/Paul Sakuma)

The county clerk in Kern County said her office won’t solemnize wedding vows after Friday, according to a story today in the NYT. The article said it was a “move that [clerk Ann Barnett] said reflected administrative and budgetary concerns, but that gay rights activisits think reflects Ms. Barnett’s distaste for same-sex marriage.” Couples can still obtain marriage licenses but they won’t be able to marry in proverbial city hall.

Meanwhile, officials in Butte County, north of Sacramento, made a similar announcement this month, though they said the decision was made months ago, the NYT said.

The California Supreme Court last month overturned state law banning same-sex unions, and a subsequent decree said marriages could begin at 5 p.m. on Monday. The article said an advocacy group against same-sex marriage has urged county clerks to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples pending the outcome of a statewide ballot initiative in November on the subject.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on June 13, 2008 (boomark / email).