Alabama became the 37th state to legalize same sex marriage yesterday, but, the vast majority of Alabama’s county courts are turning same-sex couples away. Same-sex couples are receiving marriage licenses, but courts ISSUING those licenses are few and far between. The Human Rights Campaign says 48 of Alabama’s 67 county courts are refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Ben Cooper is the chairman of Equality Alabama. He says the probate judges refusing to issue licenses may face some serious consequences.
“The probate judges who are refusing to issue licenses could be held liable, receive sanctions that would be filed against them… They are acting in contempt of a federal court order and could be opening themselves up to personal liability.”
Couples are not required to receive a marriage license at their home county courthouse.
An Alabama woman is facing a disorderly conduct charge after offering to perform a same-sex wedding inside a courthouse. Autauga County Sheriff Joe Sedinger says the woman was arrested Tuesday in the probate office. Sedinger says a dispute occurred between Probate Judge Alfred Booth and Anne Susan Diprizio, of Prattville, after two women obtained a marriage license. The sheriff says Diprizio identified herself as a minister and offered to marry the women. But Booth hasn't been allowing marriage ceremonies in his office since gay marriage became legal in Alabama. Sedinger says the judge called deputies, who found the woman kneeling and refusing to leave in an apparent protest. Sedinger says Diprizio is free on $1,000 bail. Court records don't show whether she has a lawyer.
Voters in Birmingham are deciding whether or not to raise property taxes in Birmingham. The City’s school system is hoping voters will approve the measure. If the tax increase is passed the additional money will be used to add a pre-k classroom to every Birmingham City elementary school. Randall Woodfin is the president of the Birmingham City Board of Education. He says the dollars will also expand fine art programs and foreign language instruction….
“We’re talking about the average home owner paying no more than $1.83 a month which is a small investment and in return is a pre-k classroom in every elementary school for our children as well as all the fine arts in our schools. This is an important moment not only for our school system but for the city and we should invest in this so the return is not only an improvement in the school system but the quality of life in the city of Birmingham.”
If the property tax increase is approved it will collect nearly eight million dollars annually. It will be in place for the next 30 years and the school board will begin collecting funds in October of 2016.