Doug Johnstone Quotations

We have not been issuing licenses to out-of-state couples without their intent to move here.

Someone could always do that. But that's what the affirmation document is, and it puts the onus on the couple. We always caution same-sex couples about this intent, and we've turned many same-sex couples away who stated they were not going to reside in Massachusetts.

I can't speak for all the clerks in the case, but we were really looking for clarification, and we've gotten it. It's not necessarily the answer I was looking for, but it's a definitive answer for those from out of state.

We'll continue to operate as we've been operating. We've been issuing marriage licenses according to Massachusetts law. A couple would just simply have to state their intention to reside in Massachusetts for us to issue the license.