Federal judge blocks part of Mississippi LGBT marriage law

A federal judge ruled Monday that Mississippi clerks cannot cite religious beliefs to recuse themselves from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves blocks the state from enforcing part of a religious objections bill that was supposed to become law Friday. Reeves is extending his previous order that overturned Mississippi’s ban on same-sex marriage. He said circuit clerks are required to provide equal treatment for all coupes, gay or straight.

The state’s religious objections measure, House Bill 1523, was filed in response to last summer’s Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage nationwide. That ruling is called the Obergefell case, after the man who filed it.

"Mississippi's elected officials may disagree with Obergefell, of course, and may express that disagreement as they see fit — by advocating for a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision, for example," Reeves wrote Monday. "But the marriage license issue will not be adjudicated anew after every legislative session."

Attorneys were still waiting on rulings from Reeves in two other lawsuits seeking to block all of the religious objections law, including provisions that could affect schools' bathroom policies for transgender students.

Roberta Kaplan, a New York-based attorney, represents Campaign for Southern Equality in two lawsuits challenging House Bill 1523, including the one on which Reeves ruled Monday. She issued a statement praising his decision.

"A year after the Supreme Court guaranteed marriage equality in the Obergefell decision, we are delighted that Judge Reeves reaffirmed the power of federal courts to definitively say what the United States Constitution means," Kaplan said.

Spokesmen for Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and Attorney General Jim Hood didn’t immediately comment on Reeves’ ruling. Attorneys for Bryant, a Republican, and Hood, a Democrat, defended House Bill 1523.

According to Reuters, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves slammed Carlton Reeves’ ruling in a statement.

"If this opinion by the federal court denies even one Mississippian of their fundamental right to practice their religion, then all Mississippians are denied their 1st Amendment rights,” Reeves said. "I hope the state’s attorneys will quickly appeal this decision to the 5th Circuit to protect the deeply held religious beliefs of all Mississippians."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.