lier, Fulton County elected offi-
cials had conferred and planed for
the county’s response to a same
sex marriage decision. County
Commissioners, including my
own wife, the late Joan P. Garner
(District 4), met with judges and
court personnel to ensure that
our county, in the heart of metro
Atlanta and home to tens of thou-
sands of gay constituents, would
be ready for the historic ruling.
The Georgia Council of Probate
Court Judges had determined that
they would follow the law and is-
sue marriage licenses uniformly
across Georgia in accordance with
any decision by our highest court.
In Washington D.C., activists, pro
and con, gathered on the steps of
the Supreme Court building. And
in my chambers, a couple waited.
The brave and beautiful brides,
Emma and Petrina, sat poised
and patient on a sofa with their
son. This pair of lovely women
had already spent years together
and only wanted for their family
the legal recognition and protec-
tions that would be given to any
other committed couple. They
were willing to be the face of gay
marriage here in Georgia and had
volunteered with Georgia Equality
to be present and seize the mo-
ment whenever it arrived.
I had met Emma and Petrina days
earlier and taken them on a court
house tour to acquaint them with
the obstacle course they would run
the day the decision came down.
The tour included how to quickly
navigate the hallways and identify
the closest stairwell with access to
the Probate Court office to obtain
their prized license to marry. It
would be a rush to the wedding
like no other.
That morning, I was in court, on
the bench, hearing a motion to
suppress in a DUI case. My staff
attorney, Joshua Saunders, was
attentively watching news reports
and legal blogs and knew the mo-
ment that the decision came down.
Joshua entered the courtroom
through the door behind me and
caught my eye. He said nothing;
overwhelmed with emotion, he
could not speak. He did not need
“Within 45 minutes from the time
the decision was issued by the
U.S. Supreme Court, we had
made history.”
12
February 2018
to. I gaveled the motions hearing
to a close and invited all present
to remain in the courtroom for a
historic moment.
Emma and Petrina arrived in the
courtroom with their marriage
license in hand, freshly issued
from the Fulton County Probate
Court. The brides were poised,
beautiful, and only slightly out of
breath. The marriage ceremony
was short and especially sweet.
Within 45 minutes from the time
the decision was issued by the U.S.
Supreme Court, we had made his-
tory.
My colleagues on the Fulton Coun-
ty bench presided over dozens of
weddings later that day in a special
ceremony graciously hosted by the
Fulton County Commission. I was
and always will be overwhelmed
by the positive response to this
very special wedding day. And
I will always remember Emma
and Petrina, the lovely couple who
graced my courtroom that morn-
ing. Theirs truly was an extraor-
dinary wedding.
-Judge Jane Morrison, State Court
of Fulton County
All the Participants
Wore Robes
When Shaneese asked me if I
would perform a surprise wed-
ding at a unique location, I imag-
ined her father toting a shotgun
as the frightened groom tremu-
lously said I do. So I demurred,
explaining that the law requires
both parties to at least participate
in the application for the mar-