Office opt-out

Almost a quarter of employees in San Diego’s county clerk’s office asked to be excused from marrying same-sex couples, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on 9 July. The newspaper acquired heavily redacted copies of the Californian employees’ emails via a public-records request. Eventually, 18 of the 24 objectors changed their minds, after learning they could not opt out of performing same-sex marriages without also being transferred to a new job.