Gay couples marry, wary ruling might be frozen

Heather Linton, left, and Laura Hightower are married Wednesday by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Morgan Welch.
Heather Linton, left, and Laura Hightower are married Wednesday by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Morgan Welch.

Same-sex weddings resumed Wednesday in Pulaski County Circuit Court, where several couples tied the knot ahead of a possible stay that could halt the practice.

By 8:30 a.m., five couples had applied for marriage licenses at the clerk's office and then sought a quick ceremony with an officiant in the rotunda or with a judge in chambers.

Heather Linton, 29, and Laura Hightower, 26, were married by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Morgan Welch after arriving before the clerk's office opened at 8 a.m.

Linton said the couple made the 9 1/2-hour drive from their home in Roswell, Ga., after getting off work Tuesday and realizing there could be a stay at any time of the Friday ruling in Pulaski County that opened the door for gay marriages in the state.

"It was a very anxious drive," Linton said. "I was afraid we'd get there at 8:01 a.m. and they'd say 'no more.'"

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Tuesday had received a motion from the Attorney General Dustin McDaniel's office seeking a stay and a response from the plaintiff's in the lawsuit that resulted in the Friday ruling. McDaniel's office submitted the court a response on Wednesday reiterating its desire for a stay.

It's unclear when a decision will come.

Also marrying Wednesday were Dennis Smith, 51, and Curtis Creamer, 47, both of Jonesboro.

Creamer said they preferred having a large ceremony with family present, but the looming possibility of a stay motivated them to drive to Little Rock for a brief ceremony in Welch's chambers.

"We were wanting kids and everyone with us," Creamer said. "But we knew we were cutting it close."

Smith and Creamer, who have been together nine years, returned their signed license to the clerk's office before 9 a.m. and left the building together legally married.

Smith said he's confident same-sex marriage will ultimately be legal regardless of the possible stay or the outcome of the Arkansas court case.

"Whether it happens today, next week or next year, it will eventually be able to happen," he said.

Upcoming Events