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Republican Governor Gary Herbert has just announced that the state of Utah will not recognize the legal marriages of 1360 same-sex couples until the courts force him to do so. Gov. Herbert, has been working angrily and tirelessly to convince the courts to stay a federal judge’s ruling last month — which found the state’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. He and his new Attorney general succeeded on Monday, when the Supreme Court placed a hold on the ruling, and denying any future same-sex weddings until the Circuit Court ruled on the actual case.
Governor Herbert just issued a memo directing all state agencies to not recognize these marriages that were performed legally under current existing law, between December 20 and January 5. No same-sex marriages performed in state or out of state will be recognized, Governor Herbert has directed.
“After the district court decision was issued on Friday, December 20th, some same-sex couples availed themselves of the opportunity to marry and to the status granted by the state to married persons,” the Governor’s memo reads.
“With the district court injunction now stayed, the original laws governing marriage inUtah return to effect pending final resolution by the courts. It is important to understand that those laws include not only a prohibition of performing same-sex marriages but also recognizing same-sex marriages. Based on counsel from the Attorney General’s Office regarding the Supreme Court decision, state recognition of same-sex marital status is ON HOLD until further notice.”
#Utah‘s decision not to recognize marriages of gay couples will have immediate impacts for hundreds. Health insurance. Adoption. etc.
— jack healy (@jackhealyNYT) January 8, 2014
Read Governor Herbert’s full memo here:
Governor’s Advisory on Same-sex Marriage by Robert Gehrke
//www.scribd.com/embeds/197344076/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-11q1lp4gx5a0bcrors0x&show_recommendations=true
Thanks to Robert Gehrke of the Salt Lake Tribune for Gov. Herbert’s memo.
Hat tip: Ben Winslow
Image via Gov. Herbert’s Facebook page