Politics & Government

No Early Gay Marriage in Will County: Clerk

A federal judge ruled that gay couples can now wed in Cook County.

Same-sex couples all over Illinois will have the right to marry on June 1, but gay rights activists are celebrating a ruling that will allow it to happen a little sooner in Cook County.

On Friday, a federal judge ruled there was no reason for the Cook County Clerk to wait that long to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.

The ruling, which found that Illinois' previous ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, applies only to Cook County — but the decision prompted some to hope that county clerks across the state will follow Cook County's lead.

In Will County, June 1 remains the first day same-sex couples will be able to wed.

"No, right now, we're sticking with June 1, " County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots said Tuesday. 

Other counties, including Kane, Kendall, Lake and McHenry, are also sticking with the June 1 date.

"We're sworn to uphold the law. If the law says June 1, that's when we'll start. If the law gets changed and they say go earlier, then we'll go earlier," DuPage County Chief Deputy Clerk Paul Hinds told the Chicago Tribune. 


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