Same-sex marriage license official in Hamilton County
The justices ruled 5-4 that states cannot deny gay men and lesbians the same marriage rights enjoyed by opposite-sex couples.
As soon as the ruling came down, phone calls started pouring in to the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts office.
"We’ve had a few phone calls from people wanting to know when we will be issuing licenses," said County Clerk of Courts Business Manager Susie Holloway.
Friday morning after the SCOTUS made it’s ruling, Hamilton County Clerk of Court officials announced that no license to same-sex couples would be issued until court officials received clarification from the state attorney general. Clarification and directions were announced by the attorney general by early afternoon.
Now that Hamilton County will start issuing same-sex marriage licenses, a form that must be filled out and submitted to Tennessee vital records will undergo a change. But it’s unclear how the new form will look.
"I don’t know what guidelines they are going to give us. We will have to wait on guidelines from vital records as to what they’re going to require for us to submit to them and what that form will have to look like," Holloway said.
While the SCOTUS ruling has brought tears of joy for same-sex couples looking to tie the knot, it has upset many straight couples who were at the clerk of courts office.
"It’s not right. Marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman, said Richard Dodson who was applying for a marriage license before speaking to WDEF.
"I believe it should not have been legalized to a point where they can get married. A domestic partnership should have been in place so they can still get all the same benefits as a marriage," said Amber Brown.
"There’s probably at least a quarter if not a little bit more of people in Chattanooga that will be tickled to death by it. But it’s just not right," said Charles Morrow.
By 2 P.M., WDEF learned a gay couple was en-route to the courthouse to be the first couple in the county to not only receive a same-sex marriage license, but also have a weeding ceremony performed immediately outside the courthouse. An hour later WDEF learned the couple decided to wait until Monday.
The first official gay marriage in Tennessee took place in Nashville shortly before 3 P.M.
Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III remarks pertaining to Supreme Court opinion on same-sex marriage cases, Tanco v. Haslam and Obergefell v. Hodges
“Today’s United States Supreme Court decision not only changes the definition of marriage, but takes from the states and their citizens the longstanding authority to vote and decide what marriage means. To the Tennessee citizen who asks ‘Don’t we get a chance to vote on this in some way?’ the answer from the Supreme Court is a resounding, ‘No, you do not.’ For the Court to tell all Tennesseans that they have no voice, no right to vote, on these issues is disappointing. The Court, nevertheless, has spoken and we respect its decision. Our office is prepared to work with the Governor and the General Assembly, as needed, to take the necessary steps to implement the decision.”
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