Denver city clerk to issue gay marriage licenses

Denver’s clerk and recorder says she will issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite the state’s ban on gay marriage.

Debra Johnson announced her decision shortly after a judge ruled that her counterpart in the liberal college town of Boulder can continue to grant gay marriage licenses.

Colorado’s attorney general had sued to stop the licenses, arguing it was creating “legal chaos.”

Judge Andrew Hartman said the Boulder County clerk can ignore a federal stay on a ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver that states cannot set gender requirements for marriage.

Hartman wrote that the clerk’s action didn’t harm anyone. And he noted the state’s ban is on shaky legal ground after a raft of judicial rulings for gay marriage.