Majority of Local Officials Refuse Gay Marriage Licenses in Alabama

Dozens of county officials in Alabama are refusing to distribute same-sex marriage licenses after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a stay on the legalization of same-sex marriage on Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Callie Granade ruled earlier in January that the ban on same-sex marriage would be lifted in the state, but allowed a two-week stay that could be extended. The Supreme Court ruled 7 to 2 Monday that the stay would be lifted.

After the Supreme Court's ruling, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore issued a letter to all probate judges in the state, who are responsible for issuing marriage licenses, encouraging them to not distribute the licenses, saying that if they did they would suffer retribution from the governor.

Moore argued in the letter that issuing gay marriage licenses would be inconsistent with Alabama's established law, and that probate judges should obey the law over a Granade's ruling.

According to The Washington Post, gay couples were able to obtain gay marriage licenses in a handful of counties, like Birmingham, but were refused by the majority of judges, who reportedly locked their offices to avoid an onslaught of couples seeking licenses.

While gay couples have spoken out against the decision of some counties to refuse marriage licenses, others have voiced their support for the officials. Mat Staver, chief executive of Liberty Counsel, told The Washington Post that it is in the probate judges' rights to not abide by a court ruling regarding gay marriage.

"I think the probate judges acted appropriately," Staver told the media outlet.

Moore has stood by his letter encouraging probate judges to deny same-sex marriage licenses, telling the New York Times this week: "If we accept this without contest, without standing up for what's pure and simple constitutional law, then we, too, bow down to unlawful authority," he said.

 "And that's not the role of government leaders in the state."