Hickenlooper, Suthers want Colorado gay marriage resolution
DENVER — Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper and Republican Attorney General John Suthers want a federal court to issue an injunction declaring Colorado’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. But they want the court to delay implementation of the ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court decides the issue.
Suthers’ office says he wants to resolve the question of gay marriage and avoid litigation. The request for an injunction Wednesday regards a federal lawsuit filed in Denver by six gay couples Tuesday, but there are also pending cases in Denver and Adams County.
But although Hickenlooper and Suthers agree there should be an injunction and stay, they still disagree on same-sex marriage. Hickenlooper believes last week’s federal appeals court decision against Utah’s gay marriage ban was correct. Suthers does not.
Meanwhile, Boulder County has been issuing marriage licenses to gay couples after the Utah ruling despite Suthers telling officials to stop.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
Boulder County’s clerk will continue issuing marriage licenses to gay couples despite warnings from Colorado Attorney General John Suthers to stop, telling him in a letter Wednesday that failing to give the couples licenses would violate their constitutional rights.
The letter is the latest volley in a legal back-and-forth between County Clerk Hillary Hall, who believes she’s acting legally, and Suthers, who maintains that Colorado’s constitutional ban on gay marriage remains in place until a definitive court ruling on the matter.
Clark began issuing licenses last week after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled in a Utah case that same-sex couples have the right to marry. The ruling was put on hold pending appeal.
However, the letter from Boulder County Attorney Ben Pearlman, written on behalf of Hall, argues they are in the right, citing several court rulings finding gay marriage bans unconstitutional.
“Clerk Hall is prohibited from knowingly violating an individual’s constitutional rights,” the letter said. “Given all of the other law in this area, the 10th Circuit’s decision to stay its mandate is too fragile a shield to hide behind.”
Boulder’s letter was in response to Suthers’ warnings that he would take unspecified legal action if Hall didn’t stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. Nearly 100 licenses have been issued.
The attorney general’s office did not immediately issue a reply to Boulder’s letter. Suthers has said the licenses are invalid and that Suthers and Hall should seek guidance from the Colorado Supreme Court on the matter.
Pearlman said they are willing to discuss a possible resolution but won’t negotiate on the condition that Hall stop issuing licenses.
“She believes the applicants are capable of making their own decisions about the risks involved, and, in the extremely unlikely circumstance that these licenses are invalidated, they can take corrective action,” Boulder County’s letter said. “In contrast, the harm caused by a continuing violation of their civil rights could be irreparable.”
Separately, a lawyer for nine couples who are challenging Colorado’s gay marriage ban in state court said Wednesday that the attorney general’s office wants to put the lawsuit on hold while another lawsuit challenging Utah’s ban works its way through federal courts.
A spokeswoman for Suthers didn’t immediately return a call.
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Associated Press writer Dan Elliott contributed to this report.
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Julie Hoehing, left, and Nancy Cooley, middle, hug and kiss after they were married, while daughter Lia Cooley watches at the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder’s Office in Boulder, Colo., Tuesday, July 1, 2014. Although Colorado’s constitution bans same-sex marriage, a ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver last week regarding a Utah case said states cannot prevent people from marrying based on their gender. That motivated Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall to begin issuing marriage licenses, even though the 10th Circuit put its ruling on hold pending an appeal. (AP Photo/The Daily Camera, Mark Leffingwell)
Michelle and Wendy Alfredsen with their son Oliver look over their marriage license at the Boulder County Clerk and Recorders Office in Boulder, Colo., Wednesday, June 25, 2014. (AP Photo/The Daily Camera, Paul Aiken)
Hillary Hall Clerk of Boulder County Colorado talks to the media during a press conference regarding her office continuing to issue same-sex marriage licenses in Boulder, Colo., on Tuesday July 1, 2014. (AP Photo/The Daily Camera, Paul Aiken) NO SALES Photo by Paul Aiken / The Boulder Daily Camera
Julie Hoehing, left, and Nancy Cooley, right, laugh after friend Dana Derichsweiler, middle, performed a marriage ceremony at the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder’ss Office in Boulder, Colo., Tuesday, July 1, 2014. Although Colorado’s constitution bans same-sex marriage, a ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver last week regarding a Utah case said states cannot prevent people from marrying based on their gender. That motivated Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall to begin issuing marriage licenses, even though the 10th Circuit put its ruling on hold pending an appeal. (AP Photo/The Daily Camera, Mark Leffingwell)
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit to overturn Colorado’s gay marriage ban, Kate Burns, left, holds the hand of her partner, Sheila Schroeder, during a noon hour news conference outside the federal courthouse in downtown Denver on Tuesday, July 1, 2014. Six gay couples filed the lawsuit to ask for an injunction to stop all officials from enforcing the ban on gay marriage in Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Two plaintiffs in a lawsuit to overturn Colordo’s gay marriage ban, Cassie Rubald, left, and her partner, Rachel Catt, hold hands during a news conference outside the federal courthouse in downtown Denver on Tuesday, July 1, 2014. Six gay couples filed the lawsuit to ask for an injunction to stop all officials from enforcing the ban on gay marriage in Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)