Paxton relents on certificates

A federal judge in San Antonio has let Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton off the hook on a possible contempt finding after Paxton promised to let same-sex married couples be listed as spouses on birth and death certificates.

Of course, Paxton could have escaped the whole problem if he hadn’t been dragging his feet on the issue after the Supreme Court ruled June 26 that states must recognize same-sex marriages.

Texas officials had denied the request of a Conroe man, John Allen Stone-Hoskins, to be listed as the spouse on the death certificate of his husband, who died in January.

Other same-sex couples have complained about delays in getting listed as spouses on birth certificates for their children.

A brief filed by Paxton’s office late Thursday with U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia called the decision about who gets listed on these certificates “a complex, fact-specific inquiry.”

Apparently, it’s not so complex.

Stone-Hoskins’ attorney, Neel Lane, told the Texas Tribune that the attorney general’s office told the judge in a Monday telephone hearing that the state would issue new guidelines this week making sure same-sex couples had the same rights as opposite-sex couples to be listed on certificates.

This story was originally published August 11, 2015 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Paxton relents on certificates."