Hood County clerk Katie Lang voiced strong religious opposition to same-sex marriage shortly after it became the law of the land. Now she faces a civil rights lawsuit.

James Cato and Jody Stapleton of Granbury allege in their July 6 federal lawsuit, Cato v. Lang, that after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 26 that same-sex couples have a fundamental right to marry and that states can't deny the right, they tried getting a marriage license. Lang violated their constitutional rights by refusing to issue the license, alleged the petition.

“Lang said that putting two male names on the application form would require the clerk's office to alter a public document, which would be a violation of law,” said the petition. “It is clear that the reason provided by clerk Lang is simply a pretext for her to violate Jim and Joe's constitutional right to marriage and to delay issuing a license.”