Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico welcomed the news that all 33 County Clerks in New Mexico intervened in the freedom to marry lawsuit as defendants. ALCU of New Mexico Executive Director Peter Simonson: “We believe that the county clerks intervening in our lawsuit puts New Mexico on an expedited path towards a statewide marriage solution which would provide more certainty for the same-sex couples who married in our state. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will agree with the lower court decision which held that denying marriage to committed, loving same-sex couples is unconstitutional. ”

Since the floodgates opened, county clerks in most, if not all, 33 New Mexico counties have been visited by same-sex couples seeking marriage licenses, Ivey-Soto said. He said it’s expected that lawsuits will be filed against county clerks who refuse to issue them. “Instead of getting picked off one by one, the county clerks decided they need an answer,” Ivey-Soto said. “County clerks need to know what is their responsibility.” All the state’s county clerks — 21 Democrats and 12 Republicans — offered to have their names listed in court briefs, he said.

Via press release from the ACLU:More from the Albuquerque Journal Follow the latest developments at the Facebook page for Why Marriage Matters New Mexico.

Labels: ACLU, marriage equality, New Mexico