The New Mexico county clerk who played a pivotal role in bringing marriage equality to state says he's issued nearly 900 marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples in the last year.

According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Dona Ana County Clerk Lynn Ellins has handed out 896 licenses.

Ellins decided to independently act against the state's law on August 21, 2013, saying that he had concluded that the state's marriage statutes are “gender neutral and do not expressly prohibit Dona Ana County from issuing marriage licenses to same-gender couples.”

Nine counties quickly followed Ellins' lead, sparking a legal battle that culminated in the state Supreme Court ruling that legalized marriage equality across New Mexico.

Ellins said he handed out the most licenses within the first two months of his announcement.

“I think we're over the hump,” he said. “We peaked a long time ago.”

A similar fight is playing out today in Colorado, where Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall is defying the state in issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.

(Related: Colorado appeals court won't block Boulder from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.)