North Georgia Performs First Same Sex Marriages on Day of Ruling

Pickens County was the first in North Georgia to perform same sex marriage following the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court. Supporters of same sex marriage celebrated outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday, June 26th 2015 after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a ruling concerning same-sex marriage. The high court ruled that same sex couples have the right to get married in all 50 states.

The Supreme Court says in its ruling that States cannot keep same-sex couples from marrying and must recognize their unions. This decision has been the focus of speculation for months. The decision was 5-4. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito, who voted against the ruling, wrote their own dissenting opinions.

This was a historic moment in the United States. This decision spurred the move of some local same sex couples to take advantage of the ruling and our own local Probate Judge’s offices issued same sex marriage license beginning on Friday. The Probate Court of Pickens County, GA issued a marriage license to two men who were married on Friday and two women received their license in Cherokee County, Georgia were also married on Friday, June 26th. FetchYourNews did reach out to the couples and offered for them to make a comment but both couples have declined at this time, with one of the men telling us,

“We did this for private reasons, not for the publicity.”

Gilmer County Georgia Probate Office issued 3 same sex marriage licenses on June 29th but we do not know if they were married yet.

Before Friday’s ruling, same sex marriage had already been made legal in 37 states and the District of Columbia, by either legislative or voter action or by federal courts that overturned state’ bans.

Roberts wrote, in his dissent, that the court had taken an “extraordinary step” in deciding not to allow states to decide the issue for themselves, saying that the Constitution does not define marriage.

State rights come into question after this historical move by the Supreme Court; so what happens with gun carry permits? Are they accepted in all 50 states now? Do states have any rights at all left?

See full document here: Supreme Court Decision