New Mexico: District judge orders Santa Fe County clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples

Judge Sarah Singleton

A New Mexico district judge is ordering the Santa Fe County clerk to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Rep. Brian Egolf, a lawyer handling a lawsuit by two Santa Fe men, said Friday that Judge Sarah Singleton’s order represents the first time a New Mexico judge has ruled that gay and lesbian couples can be married.

The order issued late Thursday mandates that Santa Fe County Clerk Geraldine Salazar issue the marriage licenses or appear in court to tell the judge why that shouldn’t happen.

Around 90 same-sex couples have received marriage licenses in southern New Mexico this week since the Dona Ana County clerk decided on his own to grant them.

New Mexico state law and constitution does not currently directly address the issue of same-sex marriage in any way.

(via LGBTQ Nation)