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Wisconsin judge puts same-sex marriages on hold
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday put same-sex marriages in Wisconsin on hold, a week after she struck down the state's same-sex marriage ban as unconstitutional, a move that allowed more than 500 couples to wed over the last eight days.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb's ruling Friday means that gay marriages will end while the appeal from Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is pending. Couples who were in the middle of the five-day waiting period to get a license, which most counties waived, are caught in limbo.
Van Hollen requested Crabb put her ruling on hold, arguing that allowing the marriages while the underlying case was pending created confusion about the legality of those marriages.
In her order, Crabb expressed mixed feelings.
"After seeing the expressions of joy on the faces of so many newly wedded couples featured in media reports, I find it difficult to impose a stay on the event that is responsible for eliciting that emotion, even if the stay is only temporary," Crabb said in her order. "Same-sex couples have waited many years to receive equal treatment under the law, so it is understandable that they do not want to wait any longer. However, a federal district court is required to follow the guidance provided by the Supreme Court."
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb's ruling Friday means that gay marriages will end while the appeal from Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is pending. Couples who were in the middle of the five-day waiting period to get a license, which most counties waived, are caught in limbo.
Van Hollen requested Crabb put her ruling on hold, arguing that allowing the marriages while the underlying case was pending created confusion about the legality of those marriages.
In her order, Crabb expressed mixed feelings.
"After seeing the expressions of joy on the faces of so many newly wedded couples featured in media reports, I find it difficult to impose a stay on the event that is responsible for eliciting that emotion, even if the stay is only temporary," Crabb said in her order. "Same-sex couples have waited many years to receive equal treatment under the law, so it is understandable that they do not want to wait any longer. However, a federal district court is required to follow the guidance provided by the Supreme Court."
I hope this fight costs Walker and some of his cronies a job this fall.
6 replies
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Madison — Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said Thursday that same-sex couples who have wed in recent days are not married in the eyes of the law and that county clerks issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples could be prosecuted.
Also Thursday, Republican Gov. Scott Walker backed Van Hollen's work defending the gay marriage ban but sidestepped questions on whether clerks should be charged and what his personal views on gay marriage are now.
Three district attorneys running for attorney general — two Democrats and a Republican — said they would not issue charges against clerks and their area. A Democratic state representative running to succeed Van Hollen also criticized the idea of issuing charges.
"You do have many people in Wisconsin basically taking the law into their own hands and there can be legal repercussions for that," Van Hollen said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "So, depending on who believes they're married under the law and who doesn't believe they're married under the law may cause them to get themselves in some legal problems that I think are going to take years for them and the courts to work out."
The Republican attorney general said he did not believe same-sex couples could be prosecuted but that county clerks risked charges.
"That's going to be up to district attorneys, not me," he said. "There are penalties within our marriage code, within our statutes, and hopefully they're acting with full awareness of what's contained therein."
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/van-hollen-clerks-issuing-licenses-to-gay-couples-could-be-charged-b99289932z1-262892731.html
Also Thursday, Republican Gov. Scott Walker backed Van Hollen's work defending the gay marriage ban but sidestepped questions on whether clerks should be charged and what his personal views on gay marriage are now.
Three district attorneys running for attorney general — two Democrats and a Republican — said they would not issue charges against clerks and their area. A Democratic state representative running to succeed Van Hollen also criticized the idea of issuing charges.
"You do have many people in Wisconsin basically taking the law into their own hands and there can be legal repercussions for that," Van Hollen said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "So, depending on who believes they're married under the law and who doesn't believe they're married under the law may cause them to get themselves in some legal problems that I think are going to take years for them and the courts to work out."
The Republican attorney general said he did not believe same-sex couples could be prosecuted but that county clerks risked charges.
"That's going to be up to district attorneys, not me," he said. "There are penalties within our marriage code, within our statutes, and hopefully they're acting with full awareness of what's contained therein."
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/van-hollen-clerks-issuing-licenses-to-gay-couples-could-be-charged-b99289932z1-262892731.html
These people work for the citizens, ALL of the citizens not just the bigots.
