A Pennsylvania judge ordered a clerk to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses in a Philadelphia suburb on Thursday, USA TODAY reported.
Commonwealth Court Judge Dan Pellegrini ruled that Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes does not have the authority to determine whether or not the state's ban on same-sex marriage violates the Pennsylvania constitution.
"Unless and until either the General Assembly repeals or suspends the Marriage Law provisions or a court of competent jurisdiction orders that the law is not to be obeyed or enforced, the Marriage Law in its entirety is to be obeyed and enforced by all commonwealth public officials," Pellegrini wrote.
It is unknown how Pellegrini's ruling will affect couples who received marriage licesnes from Hanes.
Hanes was sued by the Health Department after he began giving out marriage licenses to gay couples in July, despite a state law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
Last month, attorneys for Corbett compared gay people getting married to children getting married in their effort to block licenses from them.
James Schultz, Gov. Tom Corbett's general counsel, said in a statement that the issue was the idea of local officials deciding which laws to follow and ignore based on their personal beliefs.
"We respect the interests and dignity of all the parties involved in this case, but we are a government of laws and it is important that all office holders across the state enforce those laws uniformly," Schultz said.
Meanwhile, a different challenge to Pennsylvania's law against same-sex marriage is pending in court.
Robert Heim, an attorney for some of the couples who received licenses from Hanes, said Pellegrini never said the legality of their licenses was not an issue for him specifically.
"The 32 couples that I represent are going to have to decide whether they also want to litigate it in the Commonwealth Court, since Judge Pellegrini virtually invited it," Heim said.
