The reason for the difference appears to be that Washington County Clerk Glenn Black understands the Supreme Court ruling to be “the law of the land.”

“Nobody asked me if I liked it. They just asked me if I was going to do it,” Black said.

Black is a Baptist, and his personal view is that he’s “pretty much against” gay marriage. But Black also understands his public office to be separate from his personal beliefs. “The good Lord is going to make the judgments, not me,” he said.