Gay marriages start in South Carolina

CHARLESTON, S.C. - A South Carolina court has issued a marriage license to a same-sex couple despite the state's constitutional ban against the practice and the attorney general's pledge to defend it.

Charleston County Probate Judge Irvin Condon issued the license Wednesday morning to two women: Charleston County Councilwoman Colleen Condon and Nichols Bleckley.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear an appeal of a ruling allowing same-sex marriage by a federal appeals court with jurisdiction over South Carolina.

In a statement, Condon said that as a result, his court is required to accept and issue marriage licenses.

State Attorney General Alan Wilson had vowed to keep fighting a case in which a same-sex couple married elsewhere had asked South Carolina to recognize their union. On Monday morning, a Wilson spokesman said the attorney general was reviewing the matter.