Three more counties to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples

The strange, piecemeal approach to legalizing same-sex marriage in New Mexico continued on Tuesday.

Bernalillo County began issuing marriage licenses (at noon, Maggie Toulouse Oliver said early Tuesday afternoon her office had already issued the most marriage licenses in one day since she was in office) after a court order on Tuesday. A ceremony with 12 couples took place on Civic Plaza just after noon.

But three other counties with smaller populations also joined the same-sex marriage license issuance brigade.

Emboldened by a court order in District Court, the clerks in San Miguel and Valencia County announced they would begin issuing marriage certificates to same-sex couples.

A writ of mandamus in district court by Judge Jeff F. McElroy allowed the Taos County clerk to issue marriage licenses as well, according to Rep. Brian Egolf.

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