Supreme Court Will Not Stop Alabama Marriages on Monday

The Supreme Court ignored the request of Roy Moore (pictured), the arch-conservative Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, to stay a federal court ruling overturning the state's marriage equality ban.

With the high court not responding to Moore's request, that should mean same-sex couples could begin marrying on Monday, but things are more complicated in Alabama, where officials are demonstrating staunch resistance to marriage equality.

Moore has called the pro-equality rulings of a U.S. District court judge "tyranny" and told Alabama's probate judges they could still refuse to issue licenses to same-sex couples even if the Supreme Court lifted a stay on the lower court's rulings. Moore's proclamations have prompted the Southern Poverty Law Center to file ethics charges against him and the Human Rights Campaign calling for his termination.

One probate judge, Wes Allen, has vowed to stop issuing all marriage licenses in his county so he can avoid marrying same-sex couples. Developing...