From the moment a Denver-based federal appeals court struck down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage, Colorado has been at the center of the issue as county clerks defied an attorney general and lawsuits played out in the courts.

All of it came to an abrupt and unexpected conclusion on Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear all appeals on same-sex marriage.

The decision led Colorado Attorney General John Suthers — who successfully shut down three clerks who began issuing licenses this summer — to say that same-sex marriage will be legal in Colorado and all 64 county clerks must issue licenses to gay couples.

Suthers urged clerks to wait for lingering legal technicalities to be resolved before they begin issuing licenses. But clerks in Pueblo and Larimer counties began issuing marriage licenses hours after the high court announced its decision.

“I felt like Suthers did not have the authority to tell us when we could or when we couldn’t start issuing the licenses,” said Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder Gilbert Ortiz. “We were well within the rights of the Constitution to issue these marriage licenses.”

Stacey Nowlin and Leona Rogers — apparently the first same-sex couple to receive a license in Colorado since the high court’s action — were married at the Pueblo office around noon.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Colorado, overturned Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage on June 25. The court also issued a stay, and the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. It was the first federal appeals court to rule on the issue.

The high court’s decision not to hear the case effectively makes the appeals court’s ruling final and legalizes same-sex marriage in Colorado and five other states. The 10th Circuit quickly lifted the stay in the Utah case.

Every federal appeals court that has considered the issue has followed the 10th Circuit’s lead and struck down bans on same-sex marriage.

Suthers and some proponents of same-sex marriage agreed on at least one thing Monday: They were disappointed the Supreme Court did not settle the issue once and for all.

“This prolongs the uncertainty on a national basis,” Suthers said.

Suthers joined other attorneys general in two requests to the Supreme Court asking the justices to decide the issue. Without a decision that addresses the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, couples may still be affected if the Supreme Court picks up the case in the future, Suthers said.

Michelle Alfredsen, one of the plaintiffs in the pending state case, said she would have preferred the Supreme Court hear the case, but that didn’t lessen her joy or excitement on Monday.

“I’m officially Mrs. Alfredsen,” she said. “We are basking in this moment and celebrating that our children will not have to take on this fight.”

Alfredsen and her wife, Wendy, were the first couple to receive a license this summer when Boulder County Clerk and Recorder Hillary Hall started issuing same-sex marriage licenses. Hall began issuing the marriage licenses hours after the 10th Circuit overturned Utah’s ban.

In the weeks that followed, Hall ignored deadlines and requests from Suthers, who said he worried the licenses may not be valid, to stop issuing the certificates. Ortiz and Denver County Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson joined Hall after a Boulder District Court judge denied Suthers’ request to stop her.

In just over a month, about 350 same-sex marriage licenses were issued in Colorado.

The Colorado Supreme Court ordered Johnson to stop issuing the licenses on July 18, and Suthers persuaded Ortiz to stop shortly after. But it took more than a week and two additional court orders before the state Supreme Court ordered Hall to stop.

Most clerks on Monday waited for the go-ahead from Suthers. But Johnson and Hall may have to wait a little bit longer than others as attorneys work to lift the injunctions filed against them.

“I would say that there’s some irony that being one of the first, now we’re one of the ones waiting,” Hall said. “I think it was important for us to do what we did because marriage is a fundamental right, and it’s just a matter of a day or so before we start issuing licenses again.”

Suthers filed joint motions with Hickenlooper and clerks in Adams, Boulder, Denver and Jefferson counties asking the 10th Circuit and the Colorado Supreme Court to lift stays in pending cases. They also filed a request to have cases in federal court and Adams and Boulder counties dismissed.

Suthers advised couples who received their marriage licenses this summer — before the Supreme Court’s action — to get a second marriage license. Doing so, Suthers said, will prevent anyone from questioning their license’s validity in the future.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment revised and released a new version of the state’s marriage license several weeks ago. The form no longer requires someone to sign as the bride or groom.

Alfredsen said she does not feel she should have to get a second license, but would do so if her attorney suggested it.

“I’ve vowed to marry my wife over and over and over again until it was legal,” Alfredsen said. “I will marry her one more time.”

Kate Burns and her partner, Shelia Schroeder, are plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit. Burns, who was arrested in 2007 and went to jail in 2009 after failed attempts to receive a same-sex marriage license in Colorado, was overwhelmed with gratitude and redemption on Monday.

“I am shaking with emotion,” Burns said. “Today, I don’t have to go to jail.”

Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794, jsteffen@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jsteffendp

Staff writers Kieran Nicholson and Elizabeth Hernandez contributed to this report.

How same-sex marriage is unfolding outside Colorado

The Supreme Court on Monday effectively legalized gay marriage in 11 more states — including Colorado — for a total of 30 states, when it rejected a set of appeals. As many as 60 percent of Americans now live in states where same-sex marriage is legal.

INDIANA

Gov. Mike Pence reaffirmed his commitment to traditional marriage on Monday but said he will follow the law regarding unions of same-sex couples. Pence said people are free to disagree with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reject an appeal of a ruling striking down Indiana’s gay marriage ban. But he said people are not free to disobey the decision. County clerks have issued a few licenses to same-sex couples but say they’ve seen no mention of Monday weddings.

KANSAS

The Sedgwick County Courthouse is turning away same-sex couples seeking to get a marriage license after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for such unions. Kerry Wilks and Donna Ditrani went to the courthouse in Wichita with their minister on Monday to get a marriage license. After the clerk refused to give them paperwork to get a license, the couple said they’d be happy to be plaintiffs in a lawsuit expected to be filed by the American Civil Liberties Union challenging the Kansas ban.

NORTH CAROLINA

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina says it will file a request seeking an immediate ruling from a federal judge overturning the state’s ban as unconstitutional. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has previously said that a federal appeals court ruling overturning Virginia’s ban is binding in his state and that he does not intend to file any further appeals or seek delays.

OKLAHOMA

Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin were among the same-sex couples in Oklahoma who were issued marriage licenses Monday. The two were plaintiffs in a challenge to Oklahoma’s ban on gay marriage, which was overturned by a federal appeals court earlier this year. The Tulsa County Court Clerk’s Office issued the couple a license Monday afternoon. Bishop and Baldwin said they planned to have a wedding ceremony later Monday in Tulsa. Same-sex marriage licenses also were issued to couples in several other Oklahoma counties Monday.

SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said he will continue to fight to uphold the state constitution’s ban on gay marriage. He pointed out that a judge has not ruled on a lawsuit by a gay couple legally married in Washington, D.C., seeking to overturn the South Carolina gay marriage ban. Carrie Warner, a lawyer for the same-sex couple, said she will soon file paperwork asking a federal judge to immediately rule in their favor. The attorneys said they hope the state will realize that money spent fighting the ban could be used in other ways.

UTAH

Gay couples in Utah began applying for marriage licenses Monday, and a handful of same-sex weddings occurred in Salt Lake County. Gov. Gary Herbert directed state agencies to recognize the marriages. Troy Williams, the executive director of the LGBT advocacy group Equality Utah, said the organization is overjoyed for the families involved.

VIRGINIA

Gay couples have started marrying in Virginia. Lindsey Oliver and Nicole Pries received the first same-sex marriage license issued from the Richmond Circuit Court Clerk’s office shortly after 1 p.m. Upon leaving the courthouse, they were married by a gay-rights advocate, the Rev. Robin Gorsline. The couple said Monday also was the anniversary of a commitment ceremony they held on a North Carolina beach three years ago.

WEST VIRGINIA

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, said he is still figuring out how the state’s case will be affected. “In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s surprising decision to not review this matter, we are analyzing the implications for the West Virginia case,” spokeswoman Beth Gorczyca Ryan said in an e-mail.

WISCONSIN

County clerks were accepting applications for marriage licenses from gay couples on Monday, but relatively few were submitted. In Milwaukee and Dane counties, where most of the roughly 500 same-sex weddings took place in June before a federal judge’s decision was put on hold, only three or four applications were turned in. Dane County Clerk Scott McDonnell said he thought most same-sex couples who did not marry last summer would likely take their time planning weddings. And even those who wanted to tie the knot quickly were unlikely to do so Monday. Wisconsin has a five-day waiting period to receive a marriage license after an application is made.

WYOMING

A state district judge has scheduled a Dec. 15 hearing on the request by three same-sex couples and Wyoming Equality to grant the right to marry. The Wyoming case is similar but not identical to those in federal court, and those fighting for gay marriage in Wyoming were hesitant to declare unconditional victory. But same-sex marriage could be legal in Wyoming by year’s end.

The Associated Press