Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen
Marriages continue in Wisconsin despite Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s best attempts to stop them.
“Constitutions don’t defend themselves,” Van Hollen said. “They’re not worth the paper they’re written on if someone does not defend what’s in there.”
Last Friday, a U.S. District Court judge threw out the state’s marriage ban. More than half the state’s county clerks began issuing marriage licenses.
Van Hollen has been trying to get a stay of the court order but had been unsuccessful so far. So now he’s threatening the county clerks, telling them they could be charged.
Under state law, a county clerk could be jailed for nine months and receive a $10,000 fine for issuing licenses that are not allowed.
He’s also told newly married couples their marriages are invalid and not recognized by the state.
The issue is that when the district court judge issued her ruling, she did not issue an order to county clerks to begin issuing licenses.
Meanwhile, more couples are getting married in Wisconsin and more clerks are issuing licenses. Currently, marriage licenses are being issued by 63 or the 72 county clerks.
