Colorado Attorney General John Suthers
on Thursday sued Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall for refusing to
stop issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
Hall began issuing the licenses last
week after the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld a
lower court's ruling striking down Utah's constitutional amendment
limiting marriage to heterosexual unions.
The appeals court's jurisdiction
includes Colorado, but the decision was stayed by the court. Hall
said the court's stay only applied to Utah.
According to the AP, the county has
issued roughly 100 licenses to gay couples as of Thursday.
“While we would prefer not to sue a
government official, Ms. Hall's actions are creating a legal limbo
for both the state and the couples whose relationships she wants to
champion,” Suthers said in a statement. “That limbo could have
tangible and unintended consequences.”
A hearing is set for Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the state has sided with six
plaintiff couples challenging the state's ban in federal court.
Suthers, a Republican, and Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper
asked the court to declare the ban invalid but delay implementation
until the Supreme Court has ruled in the Utah case.
(Related: Colorado
won't defend gay marriage ban, but wants stay.)