Paxton to County Clerks: Wait for Direction on Gay Marriage [View all]

[TexasTowelie]

If the U.S. Supreme Court rules in the coming days that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants county clerks to hold off on issuing marriage licenses to such couples until his office has given them direction.

"I remain prayerful that the Court will heed millennia of family tradition, Judeo-Christian instruction and common sense and will respect the role of states," Paxton said in a statement Thursday. "But whatever the ruling, I would recommend that all County Clerks and Justices of the Peace wait for direction and clarity from this office about the meaning of the Court's opinion and the rights of Texans under the law."

Earlier this year, the high court took up four gay marriage cases out of a Cincinnati-based federal appeals court. Its decision, which is expected Friday or Monday, could legalize gay marriage nationwide, overturning Texas' long-standing ban on gay marriage.

A separate legal challenge to Texas' gay marriage ban, which has been on the books for a decade, is making its way through the courts. The Texas case, which was brought by two same-sex couples, is pending before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/25/paxton-county-clerks-should-wait-direction-gay-mar/

[font color=330099]Two or three days to fix the forms from husband/wife to spouse1/spouse2 should be adequate. After that he needs to comply with the ruling.[/font]