SOUTH BEND — When same-sex marriage suddenly became legal in Indiana nearly a year ago, James Hall immediately texted his longtime partner, Patrick O'Neil.
"I texted him at work and said, 'Do you want to meet at the courthouse after work and get married?'" Hall said.
The South Bend couple rushed to the county clerk's office in late afternoon, but the doors were closing. They returned early the next day, applied for a marriage license and were married in the hallway by a clerk who was ordained to perform marriages.
"We wanted to make sure everything was said and done, because we knew the window was going to close," Hall said.
They had a more formal ceremony Aug. 16 at Bendix Woods County Park, attended by more than 100 relatives and friends.
One year after same-sex marriages first became legal in Indiana, hundreds of couples across the state have had similar stories as they secured licenses. But gay and lesbian couples, as well as opponents of gay marriage, are eagerly anticipating a ruling on the issue from the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to release its decision before the end of the month.
This year alone, 1,147 same-sex marriage licenses were issued in Indiana from Jan. 1 to June 15, according to the Indiana Department of Health's Division of Vital Records. And 49 same-sex marriage licenses were issued in St. Joseph County during the same time.
It's unclear how many same-sex marriage licenses were issued in the state during 2014. That's because until January of this year, applicants for marriage licenses filled out a form at their county clerk's office that featured two lines: "bride's name" and "groom's name."
When same-sex marriages became legal last June, those forms continued in use. Some same-sex couples crossed off either "bride" or "groom" when they wrote in their names. Others did not. Because of that, and the fact that some names are common for both sexes, it's impossible to determine how many same-sex licenses were issued during 2014.