S.C. High Court Says No to Same Sex Marriage Licenses

The South Carolina Supreme Court on Thursday morning directed all probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples until the state's federal lawsuit is decided.

Early Thursday morning, no one had showed up or inquired about submitting an application for gay marriage in Lexington County since other counties in South Carolina began accepting applications Wednesday, officials said.

"If they do, it won't be accepted," Probate Judge Dan Eckstrom said. "We are not accepting applications while the legal challenge is pending."

All was quiet first thing at the Richland County courthouse, where 13 marriage license applications had been accepted Wednesday.

But no licenses will be issued until legal challenges are resolved.

S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson is asking the state Supreme Court to stop a Charleston County judge from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Wilson acted after Richland and Charleston counties started accepting marriage license applications from same-sex couples Wednesday, despite the state’s constitutional ban against the marriages and Wilson’s pledge to defend that ban.

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