Champaign County Clerk Gordy Hulten announced Feb. 26 that his office would immediately begin issuing marriage licenses, making his county the second in Illinois to offer same-sex marriages.
Hulten, who is a Republican, told Windy City Times that he and his legal team had been following the federal case in Cook County that ultimately resulted in Judge Sharon Coleman ruling Feb. 21 that the state’s marriage ban was unconstitutional. The Cook County Clerk’s Office began issuing licenses within a few hours of Coleman’s decision.
“We determined that the ruling was valid and applied to us, and in the interim, we had been having some inquiries,” Hulten said. “Our constituents don’t have any fewer rights than the residents of Cook County, and should not have to sue in order to get access to their rights.”
Hulten said that as of Wednesday morning one same-sex couple had been in for their license, but that he was receiving positive feedback from the community overall.
“[The reaction] has been kind of like a firehose,” Hulten said. “We’re just kind of rolling with it and trying to give residents the best customer service we can.”
Hulten’s press release on the marriages can be found here: www.champaigncountyclerk.com/blog/?p=634.