Madison County Probate Judge Eliminates Marriage Ceremonies

Madison County’s Probate Judge will no longer perform marriage ceremonies.

According to a report on Mainstreet News.com, Probate Judge Cody Cross said he made the decision several weeks ago before the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the legalization of gay marriage.

Cross said, however, his office will still issue marriage licenses to both heterosexual and gay couples.

According to Cross,as officials in other counties have cut back on the service, more couples came to his office for the service which interfered with his other duties.

Cross said he could not limit the ceremonies to just Madison County residents, adding that if a couple wanted to come from outside the county to be wed in his office, he had to perform the service.

Cross said that he designated one day a month to perform weddings and had people lined up on those days, with a ceremony taking place every 15 to 30 minutes. He said the volume had increased substantially recently.