The American Civil Liberties Union of
Utah has announced it will file a lawsuit challenging Utah's refusal
to recognize the marriages of gay couples.
News of the lawsuit comes a day after
Governor Gary Herbert announced that the state would not recognize
the more than 1,300 marriage licenses it issued during the 17 day
window bookended by a federal judge's ruling striking down Utah's
marriage ban and the Supreme Court putting the judge's order on hold
pending the outcome of an appeal.
The ACLU said it had been “overwhelmed”
with couples wanting to be a part of the suit.
“We have a great pool and we are
working through that, and plan to bring litigation that will protect
all marriages, whether the couples are named plaintiffs or not,”
the
ACLU said in a statement.
Also on Thursday, the Human Rights
Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, called on
the federal government and the 17 states where gay nuptials are legal
to recognize the Utah marriages.
“There is no legal reason to question
the validity of these more than 1,300 marriages,” HRC President
Chad
Griffin wrote in letters addressed to Attorney General Eric
Holder and state attorneys general. “Each was legally performed by
a clerk representing the state of Utah, in accordance with the
state's statutes and constitution.”