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Mobile County Commissioners express concerns over mounting legal bills to fight same-sex marriage
Source: AL.com
Mobile County Commissioners express concerns over mounting legal bills to fight same-sex marriage
By John Sharp
on January 07, 2016 at 11:46 AM, updated January 07, 2016 at 11:54 AM
Two Mobile County Commissioners expressed concerns Thursday about the mounting legal bills county taxpayers are having to foot to defend Probate Judge Don Davis' refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
The comments from Commissioners Merceria Ludgood and Connie Hudson came one day after Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore ordered state probate judges not to issue any marriage license contrary to the Alabama's law and constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Davis, on Wednesday, followed Moore's edict and ceased issuing licenses for all marriages.
It was the first time commissioners have publicly spoken about the county's obligation to pay Davis' legal defense bills, which are to end up with a pile of bills we have to pay and be in the same position we're in."
Added Ludgood: "Is there a point we need to make a reasonableness decision to continue to pay the fees? If the highest court in the land has made a decision, at what point does it become unreasonable for us to continue to pay the costs of fighting that?"
Mobile County has been a "Ground Zero" in the same-sex legal battle in Alabama that led to the June 26 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to legalize gay and lesbian marriages nationwide.
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By John Sharp
on January 07, 2016 at 11:46 AM, updated January 07, 2016 at 11:54 AM
Two Mobile County Commissioners expressed concerns Thursday about the mounting legal bills county taxpayers are having to foot to defend Probate Judge Don Davis' refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
The comments from Commissioners Merceria Ludgood and Connie Hudson came one day after Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore ordered state probate judges not to issue any marriage license contrary to the Alabama's law and constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Davis, on Wednesday, followed Moore's edict and ceased issuing licenses for all marriages.
It was the first time commissioners have publicly spoken about the county's obligation to pay Davis' legal defense bills, which are to end up with a pile of bills we have to pay and be in the same position we're in."
Added Ludgood: "Is there a point we need to make a reasonableness decision to continue to pay the fees? If the highest court in the land has made a decision, at what point does it become unreasonable for us to continue to pay the costs of fighting that?"
Mobile County has been a "Ground Zero" in the same-sex legal battle in Alabama that led to the June 26 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to legalize gay and lesbian marriages nationwide.
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Read more: http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2016/01/mobile_county_commissioners_ex.html
