Lindsey Erdody and Rachel Bunn, Herald-Times
Another day of issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Indiana came and went without a court-ordered stay putting a stop to the ceremonies.
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office requested an emergency stay late Wednesday, and the plaintiffs filed an opposition to the request Thursday morning.
Without a stay in place, county clerk’s offices are allowed to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples applying. As of Thursday afternoon, most, but not all, Indiana counties were issuing licenses, according to various media accounts.
Indiana is the latest in a series of states to strike down bans on gay marriages.
Thursday was the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act. That decision gave same-sex spouses legal standing federally and opened the floodgates for challenges to state bans. There have been 22 consecutive state, district or federal rulings in favor of gay marriage since that date.
Six states have made gay marriage completely legal, but another six had marriages put on hold as they make their way through the legal process, which some experts expect will be the case for Indiana.
But Jennifer Drobac, a professor of law at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, thinks a stay is unlikely.