Roy Moore rankles critics with order halting same-sex marriage licenses

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Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Matthew Cavanaugh

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore has come under fire from marriage equality groups in the wake of his recent judicial order requiring state probate judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Moore issued the order citing discrepancies among Alabama jurisdictions. The current state of affairs – wherein some counties are issuing the licenses while others refuse to – creates a disparity that “affects the administration of justice in this state,” requiring court intervention.

On Wednesday the Human Rights Campaign, a leading national advocate for LGBT rights and interests, heaped scorn on Moore for his “shameful” judicial opinion.

“Yet again Chief Justice Roy Moore is flagrantly defying the rule of law, and empowering those who wish to stand between same-sex couples and their constitutional right to marry the person they love,” said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow.

“Regardless of what Roy Moore says, marriage equality is the law of the land,” said Warbelow, referring to last year’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. “His obstructionist tactics tarnish the reputation of the great state of Alabama, and we urge all of the state’s probate judges to issue licenses to same-sex couples, as is their duty under the law. Moore’s personal opinions are not at issue here. As a judge, he has an obligation to follow the law.”

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