In a move that has largely escaped public attention, three county clerks in Illinois have added their names to a list of clerks opposing two lawsuits that seek marriage equality in the state.
Clay County Clerk Brenda Britton, Putnam County Clerk Daniel Kuhn and Crawford County Clerk Patricia Lycan have all been granted intervention in the cases. They join two other downstate clerks that are intervening in place of Cook County Clerk David Orr, who was originally named in the lawsuits but refused to fight them.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU) and Lambda Legal filed the cases in Cook County on behalf of 25 same-sex couples.
The intervening clerks are represented by the Thomas More Society, a conservative law firm. The firm said in a statement that the additional interventions will give clerks outside of Cook County an opportunity to weigh in on a case that could impact the entire state.
The additional clerks were granted intervention in late November, news that was overshadowed by the court's decision to block intervention attempts of an anti-gay organization and two churches.
The ACLU and Lambda Legal did not oppose the clerks' intervention, said Ed Yohnka, a spokesperson for the ACLU.
"We're ready to move forward to the substance of the case," he said.
