and Judge Jane Morrison (State
Court of Fulton County) shared
their monumental memories of
officiating weddings after the U.S
Supreme Court’s ruling in Oberge-
fell v. Hodges:
The People’s Court
Over the years I have performed
many memorable ceremonies.
The Obergefell decision was such
a big deal, that I carry the photos
of the first couple I married in my
phone. I will never forget that day.
Another ceremony worth shar-
ing is below: It is a reminder that
DeKalb Magistrate Court really is
the People’s Court.
While away at a training, I received
a call from my Judicial Assistant
Darren George informing me of
a veteran hospitalized at the VA
Medical Center who wanted to
get married. Since the Oberge-
fell decision, we had to increase
our wedding ceremonies in the
courthouse from three days to five
days a week. The veteran was not
expected to recover from his ill-
ness, and could not make it to the
courthouse. His last wish was to
marry the love of his life. Realiz-
ing that time was of the essence,
I authorized my Judicial Assistant
and one of my Judges Mary McCall
Cash to rush to the VA Hospital to
perform the ceremony. Darren
took photos and videotaped the
ceremony while several doctors,
nurses and medical staff witnessed
and shared in the joyous occasion.
-Chief Judge Berryl Anderson,
Magistrate Court of DeKalb County
The Right to Marry
Like many judges, I consider it a
true privilege of my office to per-
form civil marriages. Each cer-
emony is unique and is enjoyed
as a special event in the lives of
the committed couple, their fam-
ily and friends. By far the most
noteworthy marriage ceremony I
have performed was that of Emma
Foulkes and Petrina Bloodworth,
which took place on June 26, 2015.
This was the day the United States
Supreme Court recognized same
sex marriage rights in its historic
decision, Obergefell v. Hodges. 135 S.
Ct. 2584 (2015). Emma and Petrina
were the first gay cou-
ple married in Geor-
gia, indeed through-
out the entire United
States, after that land-
mark decision.
worked diligently for decades to
secure the right to marry for gay
couples. I knew the back story of
the case that was to be decided by
our high court: how Jim Obergefell
had continued to fight for recog-
nition of marriage rights after the
death of his husband John. Jim
and John and been married in
Maryland, but when John died,
their home state of Ohio refused
to recognize Jim as his surviving
spouse.
There had been tremendous
amount of preparation for this
marriage ceremony. Weeks ear-
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The wedding day
dawned full of prom-
ise. This was one
of three remaining
days at the end of the
Court’s term that legal
scholars and activists
anticipated the high
court might rule on
this important civil
rights issue.
This wedding had been
a long time coming.
Legal advocates such
a s a t t o r n eys M a r y
Bonato of Gay and
Lesbian Advocates
and Defenders and
Evan Wolfson of The
Marriage Project had
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