About 400 same-sex couples have received marriage licenses since the state’s constitutional ban was struck down May 9. State officials, though, are waiting for the state Supreme Court to rule on their request to halt the marriages while appealing the ruling.
Marriage equality for same-sex couples continues in some parts of Arkansas, as the state's Supreme Court weighs repeated requests from state officials to stay the May 9 ruling that struck down its constitutional ban on marriages between same-sex couples.
AP Photo/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Stephen B. Thornton
Two counties — Pulaski and Washington — are still issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and have issued 243 and 130 licenses, respectively, since a state judge ruled the ban unconstitutional last Friday, the county clerk's offices told BuzzFeed.
AP Photo/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Stephen B. Thornton
And in total, about 400 licenses have been issued to same-sex couples in the state, with almost 40 out of Carroll, Saline, and Marion counties. Many of the couples are promptly married by volunteer officiants on the spot.
AP Photo/Sarah Bentham
On Wednesday, Arkansas officials led by Attorney General Dustin McDaniel again asked the state Supreme Court to grant a stay and halt the marriages while the state appeals the decision, saying it has caused "pervasive" confusion among county officials.
AP Photo/Danny Johnston
