The unbroken streak of federal judges deciding in favor of marriage equality since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2013 Defense of Marriage Act continues, with U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb
overturning Wisconsin's marriage ban:
Last month, state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen acknowledged he would not be surprised to lose the case. He asked the judge to immediately block her own decision if she does strike down the ban. Normally, lawyers wait until a judge rules before asking for a stay. [...]
Clerks in Milwaukee, Dane, Waukesha and other counties say they were prepared for the ruling and for an expected stream of gay couples coming in to obtain marriage licenses.
Gov. Scott Walker had earlier
tried to distance himself from the outcome of the case, despite his established record of opposing marriage equality. Walker's opponent in November's election, Mary Burke, supports marriage equality and has been endorsed by Daily Kos; you can
give to her campaign here.
It's not clear when marriages can begin, but:
So excited that we can now make Ole and Sven married couple jokes in Wisconsin! #WIEquality #LGBT
— @DCBadger
4:29 PM PT (Hunter): Dane County has already begun issuing those marriage licenses; "several judges were on hand to officiate."