Minnesota atheists sue over right to perform marriages
Jon Collins · St. Paul, Minn. · Oct 24, 2014
A lawsuit in Washington County is asking that atheists be granted the same rights to perform marriages as religious organizations ranging from Hindu associations to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Atheists for Human Rights, a nonprofit organization based out of a geodesic dome in north Minneapolis, sued Washington County last month after a representative of the group was denied a certificate of ordination by the county.
The lawsuit stems from an incident in April where a member of the atheist group was issued credential to perform marriages by the group, which the plaintiffs say was accepted in Hennepin, Anoka and Stearns counties. When the member sought to receive official certification from Washington County, the application was initially accepted. But three days later, Taxpayer Services Division manager Steven Gransee wrote the applicant to tell them that "a member of an atheist organization...does not meet the statutory requirement."
Another member of the group, plaintiff Rodney Rogers, repeated the process in September. The lawsuit says he was told by the clerk on duty that "he could not be issued credentials to solemnize marriages because the clerks had been instructed not to accept applications from any atheist or humanist organizations."
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/10/24/minnesota-atheists-sue-over-right-to-perform-marriages
http://atheistsforhumanrights.org/
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