Alabama Republican Governor Kay Ivey
Credit: Melanie Rodgers Cox

Lawmakers in the Alabama House and Senate have just passed legislation that would end the state’s legal requirement for couples to obtain a license and even to have a wedding in order for them to be considered married. (emphasis added)

Behind the move is a desire among conservatives to “protect” probate judges, whose job it is to issue marriage licenses, from having to issue them to same-sex couples. Current law says they “may” issue, but does not require them to. Some have refused, even after the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell ruling. As of last June at least eight Alabama counties were not issuing marriage licenses at all, according to AL.com.

Should Governor Kay Ivey sign the bill in to law, couples will only need to file an affidavit stating “they meet the legal requirements of marriage and the probate judge would record that as the official marriage document,” AL.com reports.

“I think it’s far less about good governance and more about […]