Tweet
A judge told Multnomah County to stop issuing gay marriage licenses Tuesday, but he handed gay couples a historic victory by ordering Oregon to recognize the 3,000 licenses already granted in the county.
The decision by Multnomah County Circuit Judge Frank Bearden marked the first time in the nation that a judge has recognized gay marriage.
''These are the first legally recognized gay marriages in the country,'' said Dave Fidanque, the ACLU executive director in Oregon. ''In no other same-sex marriages that have taken place has there been a court order saying the state must recognize them. That's what's truly historic about this opinion.''
The county began allowing gay marriage on March 3, making it the only place in the nation where gays could get married. The county has issued 3,022 marriage licenses to gay couples since then.
Bearden told the county to cease issuing same-sex licenses until the Oregon Legislature has a chance to fashion a new law, perhaps allowing Vermont-style civil unions.
He gave the Oregon Legislature 90 days from the start of its next session to come up with the new law. If that doesn't happen, Multnomah County can resume issuing marriage licenses to gays and lesbians.
Legislators could convene in Salem as early as June, for a session that was intended to focus on tax reform.
The action effectively ends gay marriage nationally, at least until May 17, when Massachusetts is slated to begin allowing gay marriage following a high court ruling there.
An immediate appeal of the ruling was expected. The decision came in a lawsuit that has consolidated all the arguments over same-sex unions in hopes of a quick ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court.
Kevin Neely, a spokesman for the Oregon attorney general's office, called Bearden's decision ''a big step in what will be a bit longer process.''
''Our goal from the beginning was to get a ruling from the Supreme Court, but this initial ruling does provide at least some clarity and a framework for moving to that next step,'' Neely said. ''The real key here is to give the Legislature an opportunity to craft a law that the courts will deem constitutionally sound.''
A half-hour after the ruling, Katharine Sprecher and Nitzye Gonzalez sobbed in the corner of the county clerk's office, wiping each others' tears away.
They had filled out a marriage application, gotten married at the Metropolitan Community Church and returned to the county Tuesday with the paperwork to make it all official. But their return was just moments too late.
''I was a little shell-shocked, I was expecting this day to turn out very different,'' said Sprecher. ''I didn't realize there was going to be a ruling today. I thought we had until Thursday.''
Source: AP
The decision by Multnomah County Circuit Judge Frank Bearden marked the first time in the nation that a judge has recognized gay marriage.
''These are the first legally recognized gay marriages in the country,'' said Dave Fidanque, the ACLU executive director in Oregon. ''In no other same-sex marriages that have taken place has there been a court order saying the state must recognize them. That's what's truly historic about this opinion.''
The county began allowing gay marriage on March 3, making it the only place in the nation where gays could get married. The county has issued 3,022 marriage licenses to gay couples since then.
Bearden told the county to cease issuing same-sex licenses until the Oregon Legislature has a chance to fashion a new law, perhaps allowing Vermont-style civil unions.
He gave the Oregon Legislature 90 days from the start of its next session to come up with the new law. If that doesn't happen, Multnomah County can resume issuing marriage licenses to gays and lesbians.
Legislators could convene in Salem as early as June, for a session that was intended to focus on tax reform.
The action effectively ends gay marriage nationally, at least until May 17, when Massachusetts is slated to begin allowing gay marriage following a high court ruling there.
An immediate appeal of the ruling was expected. The decision came in a lawsuit that has consolidated all the arguments over same-sex unions in hopes of a quick ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court.
Kevin Neely, a spokesman for the Oregon attorney general's office, called Bearden's decision ''a big step in what will be a bit longer process.''
''Our goal from the beginning was to get a ruling from the Supreme Court, but this initial ruling does provide at least some clarity and a framework for moving to that next step,'' Neely said. ''The real key here is to give the Legislature an opportunity to craft a law that the courts will deem constitutionally sound.''
A half-hour after the ruling, Katharine Sprecher and Nitzye Gonzalez sobbed in the corner of the county clerk's office, wiping each others' tears away.
They had filled out a marriage application, gotten married at the Metropolitan Community Church and returned to the county Tuesday with the paperwork to make it all official. But their return was just moments too late.
''I was a little shell-shocked, I was expecting this day to turn out very different,'' said Sprecher. ''I didn't realize there was going to be a ruling today. I thought we had until Thursday.''
Source: AP