Mayor Adrian Fenty will sign legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in the District in a ceremony at some point tomorrow, reports D.C. Wire. No one we spoke to could yet give us details, but it looks like the signing will happen in the morning. After Fenty signs, the legislation will go to Congress for the standard 30-day review period. But if you think they’re going to hand the legislation to a bike courier and tell him to get it to Capitol Hill as fast as possible to get the clock started, think again. The 30 days won’t start until Congress is back in session in January, and even then only includes legislative days — those during which votes are held. Given that sometimes Congress only votes on three days a week and there’s a federal holiday half-way through the month, we’re looking at February until the legislation comes back, hopefully untouched. In the meantime, we still have to contend with a lawsuit filed by opponents of same-sex marriage seeking to reverse a decision of the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics not allowing a public vote on the issue. UPDATE: Details ahoy! City Desk reports that the signing will happen at All Souls Unitarian Church at the corner of 16th Street and Columbia Road NW at 10:30 a.m.
Martin Austermuhle