Bernalillo county now joins's Doña Ana and Santa Fe counties in issuing same-sex marriage licenses thanks to a ruling by New Mexico Judge, Alan Malott. Mallott struck down a challenge to the marriage's grants in Santa Fe country and in doing so has opened up the possibility for other counties to allow the marriages to move forward.
New Mexico's laws do not ban same-sex marriages, despite claims from anti-gay activists that it does. Judge Malott's view was that "gay and lesbian citizens of New Mexico have endured a long history of discrimination. Denial of the right to marry continues this unfortunate and intolerable pattern."
The ruling was put into place immediately, as the judge reasoned, "There is no benefit to the parties or the public interest in having this matter progress through a lengthy path of litigation while basic constitutional rights are being compromised or denied on a daily basis."
Over 100 gay and lesbian couples have already been issued marriage licenses, with more requesting them every day.