One Illinois same-sex couple has gotten married after a judge ruled ruled gay couples in the Chicago area don't have to wait until June to marry.
Mercedes Santos and Theresa Volpe were married Friday afternoon in downtown Chicago. They have been together 22 years and have three children. Clerk David Orr said he would start offering the licenses Friday after the federal judge's ruling. It applies only to Cook County.
A judge waived the 24-hour waiting period for Santos and Volpe because they were plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Orr married the couple. Volpe says marriage equality has been an important
journey for her family and other families across Illinois.