New Mexico Attorney General Gary King says same-sex marriages performed elsewhere can be legally recognized in New Mexico, in an opinion published yesterday.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports:
"A comprehensive legal analysis by my office concludes that valid same-sex marriages in other states would likely be valid in New Mexico," Attorney General Gary King said.
The opinion was welcomed by at least one lesbian couple who were married five years ago in Canada. Jennifer Burns, an Albuquerque chiropractor, said in an interview that the opinion is a "public recognition of our private commitment."
But opinions by an attorney general are just that — opinions, which themselves do not have the force of law. The opinion itself notes, "we cannot predict how a New Mexico court would rule on this issue."
No court has yet ruled on the issue, and Governor Susana Martinez opposes same-sex marriage.