Illinois Preps For Statewide Marriage

Same-sex couples have been able to marry in more than a dozen Illinois counties following a February ruling that initially applied only to Cook County. The rest of the state's counties will follow at the end of this week when SB10 formally goes into effect statewide on June 1st. Via the Windy City Times:

Representatives from Champaign, Christian, Crawford and Montgomery counties told Equality Illinois their clerk's offices would be open Sunday, June 1. Cook will not be open until the next day. Because of a 24-hour waiting period that is required after getting a marriage license, June 2 will be the first day couples applying on that day can marry. In areas where the county clerk's office is closed June 1, June 3 will be first day.

Shortly after Judge Sharon Coleman's ruling in February, Orr told Windy City Times Feb. 27 that marriages had been taking place in a slow but steady trickle. "We haven't had a stampede, which is actually a good thing," Orr said. "We want to make sure people know the licenses are only good for 60 days, and I know a lot of people will want June weddings."

Another reason some couples chose to wait until SB10 actually takes effect is a component of the law allowing couples that have already entered into a civil union to backdate their marriage license to the date of the civil union, without a new ceremony or new fee. Because of the wording of the judicial order, that tenet does not apply until June 1. Couples with civil unions may have a new ceremony, without the fee, should they choose.