The Hood County Clerk's Office will soon begin to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and comply with the recent Supreme Court ruling, according to a statement issued Tuesday night.
The decision is a reversal of practice, after Hood County Clerk Katie Lang had initially stated that she refused to issue the licenses due to “religious convictions.”
“The religious doctrines to which I adhere compel me to personally refrain from issuing same-sex marriage licenses,” read the new statement from Lang, posted to the Hood County Clerk’s website Tuesday evening.
“Nonetheless, in addition to the county clerk offices in the several surrounding counties, as soon as the appropriate forms have been printed and supplied to my office, the County Clerk’s Office of Hood County will have staff available and ready to issue same-sex marriage licenses,” the statement continued.
Lang’s updated stance on the subject followed widespread reporting of her personal objections, and Hood County being the lone county in North Texas that stated it would deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
In addition, a Granbury couple announced a planned federal lawsuit against the Clerk’s office after they were denied a marriage license on Monday.
“I don’t like being brushed off,” said Joe Stapleton who, along with Jim Cato, his partner of 27 years, spoke with an Austin attorney Tuesday about filing the lawsuit this week.
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Stapleton told NBCDFW he spoke with a representative of the Hood County Clerk’s Office on Monday, asked for a marriage license, and was rebuffed.
“Her answers were just rude,” Stapleton said of the deputy clerk’s reply. “She just brushed me off. ‘No we’re not [issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples].’ ‘Call back some other time.’ ‘[Katie Lang] is busy.’ That’s the kind of answers I got. And I’d say, ‘When do I call back?’ ‘In a week,’” Stapleton said of the back and forth conversation with the county office.
In truth, it took just over 24 hours for the Hood County Clerk’s office to change its stance.
“Because some have misreported and misconstrued my prior statements, I want to make clear that the County Clerk’s Office of Hood County will comply with the recent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States,” read the statement Tuesday night on the Hood County Clerk’s website.
The change in approach is one that Hood County Judge Darrell Cockerham believes is in the best interest of county government.
Cockerham, who spoke with NBCDFW prior to the clerk’s announcement, suggested that Lang’s refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples could put her at risk of removal of office, due to “official misconduct.”
According to Texas local government code, grounds for removal from office for a county official include official misconduct, which, "means intentional, unlawful behavior relating to official duties by an officer entrusted with the administration of justice or the execution of the law. The term includes an intentional or corrupt failure, refusal, or neglect of an officer to perform a duty imposed on the officer by law."
“And I’m not bringing that up to do that, or anything like that,” Cockerham emphasized. “I’m just saying you gotta be really careful when you take on the United States government.”
“What we have here is somebody who, you know, has taken an oath to uphold the laws of the United States, which [same-sex marriage] is now the law of the United States. So I just feel strongly about obeying the oath,” Cockerham said.
Stapleton and Cato, both professional educators, told NBCDFW late Tuesday that the potential lawsuit against Lang is now on hold.
“I’m trying not to be reactive. I’m trying to be active,” said Cato. “And so, I don’t think my yelling and screaming or doing any of that is gonna do much good. But I’m going to pursue every avenue that I can to make sure that I have the same rights every other American has right here in Hood County.”
