Attorney General Provides Guidance that Any Prohibition on Marriage Equality is Unconstitutional
SPRINGFIELD - Attorney General Lisa Madigan today provided guidance to every county clerk in Illinois that marriage equality should be the law of Illinois effective immediately.
Governor Pat Quinn today released the following statement on the state's immediate recognition of marriage equality for all:
"Nobody should have to wait for equal rights when it comes to love. I encourage every county clerk in Illinois to quickly follow the Attorney General's guidance.
"Following this guidance, the Illinois Department of Public Health will now accept all marriage licenses issued by any county clerk in Illinois."
Under current law, the public health department helps ensure that new marriages comply with state laws.
Last month a federal court ruled that all couples who are married in Cook County will receive the rights and protections of marriage effective immediately, rather than having to wait until June 1, the initial effective date of the historic legislation.
Governor Quinn pushed for marriage equality throughout the 2013 legislative session. He signed the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act on Nov. 20 at the UIC Forum in Chicago in front of a crowd of thousands, making Illinois the 16th state in the nation to embrace full marriage equality.
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