Uncertainty for gay couples married in Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A federal judge’s order for Wisconsin officials to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses didn’t address the legal status of the more than 550 gay marriages conducted in the last week.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb on June 6 ordered county clerks to stop enforcing the state’s gay marriage but she put that ruling on hold Friday while an appeal from Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is pending.

The state had been holding licenses issued by county clerks right after the initial ruling but started processing them Wednesday after guidance from Van Hollen’s office.

But Van Hollen said Thursday those couples aren’t legally married. His spokeswoman, Dana Brueck, reiterated that Saturday. But neither she nor Gov. Scott Walker’s office immediately provided clarification on how agencies will handle the marriages.