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When legislators passed a marriage bill in Illinois, same-sex couples were going to have to wait until June 1 to marry — a usual stipulation for many bills of all types across the nation. But today a federal judge in Illinois just ruled that in Cook County, same-sex couples may begin marrying immediately.
“There is no reason to delay further when no opposition has been presented to this Court and committed gay and lesbian couples have already suffered from the denial of their fundamental right to marry,†U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman’s ruling reads.
The Chicago Sun-Times notes that Judge Coleman in December “ruled that same-sex couple in which one or both partners has a life-threatening illness don’t have to wait June to get married, when Illinois’ gay marriage law take effect statewide.”
Before that ruling, Vernita Gray, 64, and Patricia Ewert, 65, became the first same-sex couple to wed in Illinois in November after they asked a federal judge for an expedited license because Gray has inoperable brain tumors and breast cancer that had spread to her bones.
Gray and Ewert (image, above) married on November 27.
Congratulations to all the same-sex couples in Cook County who are getting married!
Image via Pat Ewert’s Facebook page
Previously:
Federal Judge Rules Illinois Lesbian Couple Can Marry Immediately
Watch: Illinois Lawmaker’s Beautiful, Funny Proposal To Partner After Marriage Bill Passes