Though Governor Abbott told his department directors on Friday to not take action against any state officials who act or refuse to act on account of their “sincere religious belief”, that backing will not be necessary in Austin County. We spoke with Austin County Clerk Carrie Gregor, who told us that any couples that want to receive a marriage license merely have to fill out the current forms and pay the fee. The only hold up for licensing in Austin County had been the wait for the change in forms to accommodate the ruling, which have since arrived at the courthouse.
There have been instances in other Texas counties of same sex individuals being unable to obtain licensure, whether this was from some counties stating they did not have the requisite forms to others saying they would not do so due to their religious convictions. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement Sunday saying state workers can refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses if doing so is contrary to his or her religious beliefs. “(Judges and other state workers) may claim that the government cannot force them to conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies over their religious objections,” Paxton said in the statement.
However this plays out in the rest of the state, Austin County is ready to issue marriage licenses to whomever wants one.
