A Pennsylvania judge on Thursday ordered a county clerk to stop
issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
Montgomery County Register of Wills Bruce Hanes has issued 174
marriage licenses to gay couples since July, defying a 1996 law that
limits marriage in Pennsylvania to heterosexual couples.
Republican Governor Tom Corbett sued to block Hanes from issuing
additional licenses.
Commonwealth Court Judge Dan Pellegrini said in his order that
Hanes did not have the authority to decide the issue on his own, the
AP reported.
Hanes acted after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a portion of
the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Pennsylvania Attorney General
Kathleen Kane said in a statement that her office could not defend
the marriage law in a separate case because the law was
unconstitutional.
Corbett attorney James Schultz said in a statement that the
administration respects “the interests and dignity” of all
parties in the case, but added that “we are a government of laws.”
(Related: Pennsylvania
argues that gay couples, like kids, can't marry.)
Hanes did not says whether he would appeal the ruling.