MONTGOMERY, Ala. (BP) — The Alabama Supreme Court has ordered a halt to same-sex “marriage” licenses in the state, posting a direct challenge to a federal court in Mobile that overturned the state’s marriage laws. The Alabama court, in a March 3 decision, stated:

“As it has done for approximately two centuries, Alabama law allows for ‘marriage’ between only one man and one woman. Alabama probate judges have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary to this law. Nothing in the United States Constitution alters or overrides this duty.”

This fact, the court stated, “does not change simply because the new definition of marriage has gained ascendancy in certain quarters of the country even if one of those quarters is the federal judiciary.”

Chief Justice Roy S. Moore “had the integrity to recuse himself” from the case, Liberty Counsel chairman Mat Staver noted, because Moore had issued an earlier administrative order to Alabama’s probate judges and had spoken publicly about the standoff with the federal court.
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To read the full story, go to http://www.thealabamabaptist.org and type in “marriage.”