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Judge Orders Expedited Marriage License for Same Sex Couple

NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS | By Associated Press

Published November 26, 2013 at 6:53 AM CST

The U.S. District Court in Chicago has ordered Cook County's clerk to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple, one of whom is terminally ill.

County Clerk David Orr said he will comply with the court's order, handed down Monday by Judge Thomas Durkin.

A lawsuit was filed Friday by Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois seeking immediate action for Vernita Gray and Patricia Ewert. Gray has bone and brain cancer. Illinois' gay marriage law goes into effect June 1.

Camilla Taylor of the gay rights group Lambda Legal says Gray wishes to marry the woman she loves before she dies.

Orr says his office will expedite a marriage license to Gray and Taylor, adding it's a service already granted to heterosexual couples in similar situations.

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