Judge reaffirms that gays can marry in Alabama then puts her ruling on hold
A federal judge has again ruled that same-sex couples in the US state of Alabama should be allowed to marry, before putting the ruling on hold.
The ruling was made by US District Judge Callie Granade, who in January ruled to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex marriage leading to a number of marriage licences being issued to same-sex couples.
The Supreme Court of Alabama in March ordered judges to stop issuing marriage licences to gay and lesbian couples.
After attorneys for same-sex couples called for a definitive ruling on the issue, Granade on Thursday issued her ruling reaffirming the decision.
She the immediately put the ruling on hold until the US Supreme Court rules, but not before noting that probate judges might be forced to choose between her ruling and the Alabama Supreme Court’s order.
“However, the choice should be simple,” Granade wrote in her 14-page opinion. “Under the Supremacy Clause (of the U.S. Constitution), the laws of the United States are ‘the supreme Law of the Land.'”
The Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on same-sex marriage, which is currently legal in 37 states and Washington DC.
In March, an Alabama judge granted a divorce to a same-sex couple who had married in Iowa, after they had battled for a year.
