Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Corrected Opinion Pages
Corrected Opinion Pages
Corrected Opinion Pages
J U L [ A J O R D A N
C O U R T
O F
A L A B A M A
OFFICE
W E L L E R
C L E R K
T E R E S A
3 0 0
L A R R Y
C H I E F
MONTGOMERY,
H. A L L E N
A S S I S T A N T
C L E R K
(334)
March 5, 2015
I S R A E L
F I N A N C I A L
O FTHE CLERK
DECTER
A L
AVENUE
36104-3741
2 2 & O 7 0 0
O F F I C E R
c a p a c i t y as Judge o f
Clerk
Supreme Court o f Alabama
CORRECTED PAGES ATTACHED
1140460
government s p o n s o r s h i p o f i t .
e i t h e r t h e a s p e c t o f m a r r i a g e t h e same-sex p a r t n e r s i n s i s t
s h o u l d be i n c l u d e d i n t h e i n s t i t u t i o n i s not fundamental t o
its
nature,
i n which
case
Alabama's
laws
enforcing the
same-sex p a r t n e r s n e c e s s a r i l y must h i n g e
d e f i n i t i o n o f m a r r i a g e f a i l t o e x p l a i n government's
their
interest
i n marriage.
Having
discarded
o t h e r c a n d i d a t e s f o r what a s p e c t o f
m a r r i a g e i s so fundamental
protection,
we a r e l e f t
that i t warrants
with
the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c
constitutional
t h a t has
m a r r i a g e has always
The o b v i o u s r e a s o n
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c i s nature.
children.
Marriage
demonstrably
channels the
r e s u l t s o f sex between
^^See DeBoer, 772 F.3d a t 404 {"One s t a r t s from t h e
premise t h a t governments got i n t o t h e b u s i n e s s o f d e f i n i n g
m a r r i a g e , and remain i n the b u s i n e s s o f d e f i n i n g m a r r i a g e , not
t o r e g u l a t e l o v e b u t t o r e g u l a t e sex, most e s p e c i a l l y the
i n t e n d e d and u n i n t e n d e d e f f e c t s o f male-female i n t e r c o u r s e . ") .
104
1140460
t r a d i t i o n a l d e f i n i t i o n i s inaccurate.
are
concerned here w i t h
definitions.
I n p o i n t o f f a c t , we
two d i f f e r e n t , m u t u a l l y
exclusive
law
must
legitimize
one
Both
I n s i s t i n g that
definition
necessarily
d e l e g i t i m i z e s the other.
Throughout
the e n t i r e t y of i t s h i s t o r y ,
chosen t h e t r a d i t i o n a l
states,
like
definition.
one
New York,
d e f i n i t i o n of marriage.
Alabama has
Some
other
definition
o r the other
because, as t h e Windsor
Court
add, by
, 133 S.Ct.
q u a r t e r s o f t h e country^
federal
U.S. a t
has g a i n e d
ascendancy
i n certain
judiciary.
^^According
t o the National
Conference
of
State
L e g i s l a t u r e s , o n l y 11 s t a t e s have a c c e p t e d same-sex m a r r i a g e
as a r e s u l t o f c h o i c e s made by t h e p e o p l e o r t h e i r e l e c t e d
132
1140460
As i t has done f o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y two c e n t u r i e s , Alabama
law a l l o w s f o r "marriage" o n l y between one man and one woman.
Alabama p r o b a t e judges have a m i n i s t e r i a l d u t y not t o i s s u e
any m a r r i a g e l i c e n s e c o n t r a r y t o t h i s
law.
N o t h i n g i n the
U n i t e d S t a t e s C o n s t i t u t i o n a l t e r s o r o v e r r i d e s t h i s duty.
IV.
The
named respondents
Order
are
ordered to discontinue
i s s u a n c e of m a r r i a g e l i c e n s e s t o same-sex c o u p l e s .
and
pursuant
to r e l a t o r
Judge
Enslen's
request
the
Further,
that
this
W i t h i n f i v e b u s i n e s s days f o l l o w i n g the i s s u a n c e of
order,
each
such
probate
judge
may
file
an
answer