Too late, dude. Licenses are already being issued and people are getting married.
Wisconsin Republican Attorney General JB Van Hollens has filed a request for an emergency stay of Federal Judge Crabbs ruling overturning the states same sex marriage ban. The comes after his declaration that the law was still in place was ignored by County Clerks in several parts of Wisconsin.
You can read the pdf, of course, but I'll let you know that he's miffed over Dane and Milwaukee County not only handing out marriage licenses, but staying open late and opening again tomorrow. There's a lot of whining about "disrupting" families and "creating uncertainty", too. Blah, blah, blah.
Not only are marriage licenses being issued, but county clerks offices in both Dane and Milwaukee County will be open late into the night, but tomorrow, as well. Nice pictures displayed here. Yes, people are getting married.
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, a Republican, said that "current law remains in force" in Wisconsin and he would take immediate action to try to halt the surge of gay couples seeking to wed.
"In light of the decision of some county clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, I will be filing emergency motions in the federal courts to stay Judge Crabb's order," Van Hollen said in a statement. "The United States Supreme Court, after a referral from Justice Sotomayor, stayed a lower court's decision striking down Utah's ban on same-sex marriage. There is no reason to believe the Supreme Court would treat Wisconsin's ban any differently."
"We have seen the disruption to couples and families throughout the United States when courts have first allowed same-sex marriage only to have those marriages subsequently called into question by another court."
Right...I'm sure he's worried about disruption to families.
Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell, a Democrat, began issuing marriage licenses at 5 p.m. Friday and planned to continue intot the evening. He said officials from the state Department of Justice advised him not to issue the licenses but moved forward despite that.
"They don't get to tell me that," he said of DOJ. "A judge gets to...If someone comes to me, how could I say no to them?"
Milwaukee County Clerk Joe Czarnezki, a Democrat, said that his office would accept same-sex marriage applications until 9 p.m. Friday and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The county's corporation counsel advised him that the applications could be issued.
"Personally, I'm pleased she struck the ban down," he said. "It makes us proud to be in Wisconsin and a state that's standing up for marriage equality."
And if extra hours added to county clerks offices late on a Friday and Saturday don't make you happy, perhaps this will:
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said that he would personally pay for any overtime costs for keeping the courthouse open.
"I have been waiting decades for this day to finally arrive and we won't make loving couples wait longer than they want to get married," he said in a statement.
(bolding is mine)
That's right, the guy who replaced Scott Walker as Milwaukee County Executive is prepared to open his own wallet to pay for the added expense. No worries, folks, the guy's a multimillionaire.
And he was at the first wedding, too:
It's celebration time. And PrideFest continues through this weekend. There's a lot to celebrate.
UPDATE: Scott Walker Haz a Sad Edition
Reactions are coming in:
A spokeswoman for Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, did not comment on the substance of the ruling beyond backing Van Hollen's decision to appeal it.
"It is correct for the attorney general, on this or any other issue, to defend the constitution of the state of Wisconsin, especially in a case where the people voted to amend it," Walker said.
Walker's Democratic opponent in the governor's race, Mary Burke, was enthusiastic about the decision.
"Today is a great day for Wisconsin and committed couples who love each other across the state. Every loving couple should have the freedom to marry whomever they choose, and the fact that this freedom is now available in Wisconsin is something we all can and should be proud of," Burke said in a statement.
Democratic attorney general candidate Jon Richards also praised the ruling and criticized Van Hollen's attempt to halt the marriages.
"I'm incredibly disappointed that the (attorney general) is urging clerks to ignore the law and ignore the constitution and ignore the judge's ruling," Richards said. "He and his allies say they will follow the law. It turns out that he'll urge clerks to ignore the law to enforce his extreme views."
The one case points out the clear distinction between candidates. I hope people are paying attention.
Update 2:
About 70 couples were married in Dane County (Madison) and 100 in Milwaukee. Both clerks offices will be open again tomorrow (and hopefully a few judges will show up, too).
.