Post by bluebutterfly on May 20, 2004 19:02:20 GMT -5
Handful of Gay Marriage Licenses to Be Reviewed
By Kevin McNicholas
BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Thursday asked the state's top prosecutor to look at whether clerks in a handful of communities broke the law by issuing marriage licenses this week to gay couples from out of state.
As dozens more gay couples exchanged vows following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts on Monday, Romney said he was referring eight marriage licenses issued this week to the office of Attorney General Tom Reilly.
Romney said he would leave it up to Reilly to determine what action, if any, was needed against clerks found to be breaking state law.
Citing a 1913 law originally meant to bar interracial marriage, Romney has said licenses issued to out-of-state gay couples who do not plan to settle in Massachusetts would be "void." But clerks in Springfield, Provincetown, Somerville and Worcester have said they would ignore Romney's edict.
Shortly after gay couples began marrying in Massachusetts on Monday, Romney's administration asked clerks in those four communities for copies of marriage licenses they issued to same-sex couples.
"Of 351 cities and towns, all but three or four are following the law as we understand it," Romney told reporters on Thursday, adding that he did not necessarily think "punitive" actions must be taken against the rogue clerks.
Reilly, speaking to reporters earlier in the day, said he would look at the licenses but declined to comment on his course of action.
Mary Bonauto, lead attorney in the lawsuit that did away with the state's ban on gay marriage, urged Reilly not to comply with Romney's request and noted that the 1913 statute had not been enforced for heterosexual couples from out of state.
"Massachusetts is not permitted to have different rules for non-residents based on whether they're straight or gay," she told Reuters.
Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples applied for wedding licenses beginning on Monday in Massachusetts. Of those, dozens opted to pay up to $195 for court waivers to the state's three-day waiting period so they could also marry on Monday.
But a second wave of marriages occurred on Thursday among same-sex couples who did not seek waivers of the waiting period. One church in Boston was performing weddings every 20 minutes. (additional reporting by Greg Frost)
story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=7&u=/nm/20040520/ts_nm/rights_gays_massachusetts_dc
By Kevin McNicholas
BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Thursday asked the state's top prosecutor to look at whether clerks in a handful of communities broke the law by issuing marriage licenses this week to gay couples from out of state.
As dozens more gay couples exchanged vows following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts on Monday, Romney said he was referring eight marriage licenses issued this week to the office of Attorney General Tom Reilly.
Romney said he would leave it up to Reilly to determine what action, if any, was needed against clerks found to be breaking state law.
Citing a 1913 law originally meant to bar interracial marriage, Romney has said licenses issued to out-of-state gay couples who do not plan to settle in Massachusetts would be "void." But clerks in Springfield, Provincetown, Somerville and Worcester have said they would ignore Romney's edict.
Shortly after gay couples began marrying in Massachusetts on Monday, Romney's administration asked clerks in those four communities for copies of marriage licenses they issued to same-sex couples.
"Of 351 cities and towns, all but three or four are following the law as we understand it," Romney told reporters on Thursday, adding that he did not necessarily think "punitive" actions must be taken against the rogue clerks.
Reilly, speaking to reporters earlier in the day, said he would look at the licenses but declined to comment on his course of action.
Mary Bonauto, lead attorney in the lawsuit that did away with the state's ban on gay marriage, urged Reilly not to comply with Romney's request and noted that the 1913 statute had not been enforced for heterosexual couples from out of state.
"Massachusetts is not permitted to have different rules for non-residents based on whether they're straight or gay," she told Reuters.
Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples applied for wedding licenses beginning on Monday in Massachusetts. Of those, dozens opted to pay up to $195 for court waivers to the state's three-day waiting period so they could also marry on Monday.
But a second wave of marriages occurred on Thursday among same-sex couples who did not seek waivers of the waiting period. One church in Boston was performing weddings every 20 minutes. (additional reporting by Greg Frost)
story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=7&u=/nm/20040520/ts_nm/rights_gays_massachusetts_dc