New Mexico: Now At 6 Marriage Equality Counties (55% Of State's Population)

Progress on marriage equality is happening pretty quickly. On Saturday I blogged about the two counties, Doña Ana and Santa Fe, that were issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Less than a week a later that number has now tripled to six counties.

The Washington Post reports on the current state of marriage equality in New Mexico:

State District Judge Alan Malott on Monday ordered Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Santa Fe County Clerk Geraldine Salazar to begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples immediately. The ruling echoed another district judge’s ruling last week that ordered Santa Fe County to begin issuing licenses. 

[...] 

In anticipation of the decision, both county clerks had already begun printing gender-neutral marriage licenses. Last week, the county clerk in Dona Ana County, in southern New Mexico, began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On Tuesday, clerks in Valencia County and San Miguel County said they, too, would begin issuing licenses. 

Together, the five counties are home to more than 1.1 million of New Mexico’s 2.08 million residents.

The sixth county that is issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples is Taos County. The question now is how long will it take for a statewide ruling to be made to establish the public policy of New Mexico that marriage equality is the law of the land, making the Land of Enchantment the 14th marriage equality  state in the Union.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God