Grant County Clerk Robert Zamarripa announced Tuesday that his
office will comply with a judge's order and begin issuing marriage
licenses to gay and lesbian couples next week.
“We'll let the Legislature and courts decide after this what
needs to be done,” Zamarripa told the AP.
However, Los Alamos County Clerk Sharon Stover said that she would
fight a similar order in a separate case. Stover is asking Judge
Sheri Raphaelson to put the case on hold until the issue is resolved
by the state Supreme Court in another case.
“I respect and value the rights of each person to be treated as
equally and fairly as our Constitution states,” Stover said in a
statement. “Clearly, the marriage license in state statute has not
been updated since 1961. It does not work for same-sex couples, and
that is a matter for the Legislature to fix, not a clerk and not a
district judge.”
The availability of marriage licenses in New Mexico broadened
quickly following Dona Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins' August 21
decision without a court order to issue marriage licenses to gay
couples.
A group of GOP lawmakers, led by state Senator William Sharer,
have filed a lawsuit seeking to block Ellins from issuing additional
marriage licenses.
(Related: New
Mexico GOPer William Sharer: Gay men should stop “whoring,” marry
women.)