TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Feb 9, 2015

Same sex couples across Alabama were legally allowed to file for marriage licenses this morning after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to impose a stay on a ruling finding the state’s ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional. In a "stinging dissent," though, Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia said the move inappropriately signaled how the court would rule on cases from the Sixth Circuit later this term. On a related note, some Alabama judges remained unsure how to proceed after state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore issued an administrative order instructing probate judges not to issue or recognize marriage licenses for same-sex couples. The president of the Alabama Probate Judge’s Association said he was aware of four counties that were not issuing licenses but hoped to get clarification on the issue soon. The Associated Press has more on the story.