Washington County will likely resume issuing same-sex marriage licenses Friday morning, officials said Thursday.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza paved the way for the licenses to resume by overturning a state law that says county clerk’s can't issue them. He had overturned the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex unions last Friday had missed the county clerk law.
Washington County stopped issuing the licenses Wednesday evening after the Arkansas Supreme Court pointed out the oversight. The court also threw out Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s appeal of Piazza's decision, saying it couldn’t make any judgment Piazza’s fixed the problem.
“It looks like he went back in and cleaned everything up,” Washington County Attorney George Butler said, adding he expects marriages to restart Friday. “Now it’ll be up to the Supreme Court.”
About 140 same-sex couples have gone to the Washington County courthouse in Fayetteville to marry since Monday. Hundreds more have been issued licenses in Pulaski and other counties, but most county clerks have said the decisions haven’t applied to them.
County Clerk Becky Lewallen said no licenses would be issued Thursday given the general confusion among county clerks.
Piazza’s ruling Thursday is just the latest step in a year-long push to bring same-sex marriage to the state. Several same-sex couples from across Arkansas challenged the state’s marriage ban last year, which led to Piazza’s decision.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said Thursday he would re-appeal to the Supreme Court. Whatever the court’s decision, it’s expected to apply to all counties.