MD Marriages To Begin January 1st

The Maryland Attorney General says so.

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler said on Thursday same-sex couples can begin to marry in the state on Jan. 1. He wrote in a 19-page opinion that clerks can begin to issue marriage licenses to gays and lesbians as soon as Dec. 6, as long as they don’t take effect until the same-sex marriage law takes effect at the start of the new year. A 1999 law states a marriage license is not valid until 6 a.m. on the second calendar day after a clerk issues it.  Gansler concluded this requirement does not “expressly prohibit licenses becoming effective after that time.”

Gov. Martin O'Malley has applauded the decision.