MILWAUKEE — County clerks in Milwaukee and Madison are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples who want them.

Dane County Clerk Scott McDonald and Milwaukee County Clerk Joseph Czarnezki said Monday that they were ready to issue licenses after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Wisconsin’s appeal in its gay marriage case.

The Supreme Court also rejected appeals from Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia, paving the way for same-sex marriages to start there as well.

Czarnezki says his plan is to “issue marriage licenses to everyone – same-sex, opposite-sex – immediately.”

But he also says he doesn’t think couples need to rush to get a license because same-sex marriage will remain legal following the court decision.

ACLU: Supreme Court decision is ‘watershed moment’

MILWAUKEE — The legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin says the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear Wisconsin’s gay marriage appeal is a “watershed moment” for same-sex couples and the nation.

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals from five states seeking to prohibit same-sex marriages, paving the way for ceremonies to start in Wisconsin, Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia.

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ACLU legal director Larry Dupuis calls the decision “life-saving news for same-sex couples.”

He says marriage helps families deal with times of crisis, and the Supreme Court’s action means more loving and committed couples will have access to the protections marriage provides.

The ACLU sued in January on behalf of eight couples to overturn Wisconsin’s ban on gay marriage.

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