More Alabama counties issuing same-sex marriage licenses

Tori Wolfe-Sisson embraces a friend while gathering to celebrate the Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage outside the Montgomery County Courthouse on Friday, June 26, 2015, in Montgomery, Ala.
Tori Wolfe-Sisson embraces a friend while gathering to celebrate the Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage outside the Montgomery County Courthouse on Friday, June 26, 2015, in Montgomery, Ala.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Additional Alabama counties on Monday said they were now willing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, as some opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide fades away.

Several counties including Escambia, Randolph and Coosa counties are among the latest in the state to begin issuing licenses after halting for days. The reversals come more than a week after the high court's landmark ruling that declared same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

Henry County is also expected to begin issuing marriage licenses this week as early as Tuesday, according to the county probate office. In an interview last week, Henry County Probate Judge David Money said he plans to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court, adding that "it's just a matter of when."

Money said the county had been prepared to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples on Friday after the ruling. However, after receiving an order last week from the Alabama Supreme Court, Money said he wanted to be sure everything was examined before moving forward.

"We don't want to inconvenience anyone one at this point, but you're changing several hundred years of society with this so we want to make sure we get it right," he said.

Other counties including Pike, Geneva, Houston and Washington have stopped issuing marriage licenses altogether. Judges in those counties who are opposed to same-sex marriage have cited an Alabama state law that allows them to not issue any marriage licenses.

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