Public officials in Tennessee can now refuse to grant a marriage license to anyone at their own discretion, for any reason.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed into law House Bill 878 on Wednesday, which took effect immediately. The bill — just a few sentences in length — only states that “a person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage.” Only state notary publics, government officials, and religious figures can “solemnize” a marriage in Tennessee, according to state code.
None of the sponsors behind the bill have been made public statements on its introduction or passage, nor have they given comment to media organizations. The only known remarks regarding the law from state Rep. Monty Fritts (take a guess), who sponsored it in the House, are from February of last year, when he spoke to the state Subcommittee on Children and Family Affairs.
Most of the time a LEGAL marriage has nothing to do with a church/minister/religion at all. It’s 100% a ‘state’ thing for filing of taxes, courtroom protections, power of attorney etc. Getting married in a church doesn’t grant any of those things. Having a piece of paper from your ‘state’ is what makes it legal in the government’s eyes. If the government won’t sign off, you’re not LEGALLY married, just socially.
Right. As a minister performing a marriage, your legal responsibility is just to sign as a witness on a marriage license. To do so, you have to be one of a handful of classes of people who can do it. Religious authorities are one of those. My registration with the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster makes me such a person, enabling me to wed folks.