Same-sex couples can now marry in Champaign County.
The central Illinois county becomes the second in the state to immediately grant same-sex marriage licenses in the wake of a federal court ruling. Champaign County Clerk Gordy Hulten says after a federal judge ruled Friday, he determined that a statute banning same-sex marriage in the state was unconstitutional. The Friday ruling only applied to Cook County.
Hutten says after reviewing the process with the Champaign County State's Attorney, he decided that same-sex couples in Champaign County can immediately seek marriage licenses rather than waiting until the law takes effect June 1st: “ We determined for a number of reasons once the federal courts ruled that the state ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional in Cook County … that means it’s unconstitutional for the entire state. That the residents of Champaign County don’t have any fewer constitutional rights than those in Cook County… and that it would be a disservice to require same-sex couples in Champaign County to go through the litigation process.”
Despite the decision in Champaign and Cook counties, a number of other downstate Illinois counties say they will wait until June 1st to issue the licenses for same-sex couples.
