Today's Human Rights Campaign A.M. Equality newsfeed:
click on headline below for link to complete story on the Towleroad.com website, authored by John Wright.
Alabama probate judges who refuse to issue marriage licenses
to same-sex couples once marriage equality takes effect across the
state today could face fines and jail time, legal experts say. Since the
state’s marriage ban was overturned, a fraction of probate judges have
said they will refuse to issue marriage licenses to any couples, decline
to provide them to same-sex couples, refuse to sign the licenses or no
longer perform marriages at all. Because couples do not have to obtain
licenses within their county, those judges’ refusal to issue licenses
will only truly inconvenience those couples in rural areas, but could
cause legal issues for the courts. “If the (federal) court issues an
order and they refuse to comply with the order, then the court can find
them in contempt of court, which could result in a fine or incarceration
until they purge themselves of the contempt,” said former U.S. District
Court Judge U.W. Clemon.
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