Springfield, Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, was the site of the execution of a law making Illinois the 16th state in our Union to legalize gay marriage.  Last week, Democratic Governor Pat Quinn, writing on a desk said to be used by President Abraham Lincoln, used 100 pens to ink the law into full force and effect.

The law, officially known as the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, takes effect June 1, 2014.  Illinois recognized "civil unions" prior to the crucial votes putting the bill over the top by state legislators earlier this month.

34 states still prohibit same-sex marriage under the law.  The practice is far from universally accepted, despite the momentum that the civil rights has garnered over the past 24-months, especially in the wake of the SCOTUS's seminal United States v Windsor decision.  The local Catholic Bishop near Springfield, IL lamented the execution of the new law with a feigned exorcism.  Really?

It will not be too long before the movement picks-up a few more states by judicial decree thanks to the Windsor decision.  Some state legislatures, on the other hand, are not planning to stray from the traditional view of marriage any time soon.

Politics and politicians being fickle, we suggest you stay tuned for further developments.

www.clarkstonlegal.com
info@clarkstonlegal.com