Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin has
criticized Governor Scott Walker and Attorney General J.B. Van
Hollen, both Republicans, for appealing a federal judge's ruling
striking down the state's ban on gay marriage.
A week after issuing her ruling, U.S.
District Judge Barbara Crabb put it on hold pending an appeal from
the state. Nearly 600 gay couples married in the week when it was
legal to do so.
Walker
said he approved of the stay, while Van Hollen said he was
“pleased.”
“By staying this ruling, [Crabb] has
confirmed that Wisconsin's law regarding same-sex marriage remains in
full force and effect,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “County
clerks do not have authority under Wisconsin law to issue same-sex
marriage licenses. Judge Crabb's stay makes this abundantly clear.”
Baldwin, the country's first openly gay
senator, said Walker and Van Hollen were “standing in the way of …
equality for all Wisconsinites.”
“I believe that we owe it to the next
generation to give them a Wisconsin that is more equal, not less
equal,” she said in a statement. “The Wisconsin I know deserves
better than a Governor defending discrimination and an Attorney
General prosecuting progress. Wisconsin should be a place where
every family’s love and commitment can be recognized and respected
under the law. It is time for Governor Walker and Attorney General
Van Hollen to stop standing in the way of freedom, fairness and
equality for all Wisconsinites. Love is love, family is family, and
discriminating against anyone's love, against anyone's family, is
just plain wrong.”