Source: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s5858
Timestamp: 2020-07-13 03:06:17
Document Index: 455520862

Matched Legal Cases: ['§11', '§110', '§ 2', '§  12', '§  3', '§  13', '§ 4', '§ 5', '§  110', '§ 13', '§  5', '§ 110', '§  2', '§ 12', '§ 3']

ordered to third reading cal.1717
May 24, 2018 print number 5858b
May 24, 2018 amend and recommit to judiciary
Feb 23, 2018 print number 5858a
Feb 23, 2018 amend and recommit to judiciary
Jun 20, 2017 referred to judiciary
ordered to third reading cal.2051
Amd §§11, 12, 13 & 13-b, Dom Rel L; add §110, Exec L
2013-2014: A6952
2015-2016: A5223
2019-2020: S1430, S3652, A4895
Designates lay individuals as one-day marriage officiants in order to solemnize marriages.
executive law, in relation to designating lay individuals to solemnize
The purpose of this legislation is to designate lay individuals as
one-day marriage officiants in order to solemnize marriages.
Section 1. A new subdivision 3-b is added to Section 11 of the
Domestic Relations Law, and will read as follows: A one-day marriage
officiant, as designated by the secretary of state pursuant to section
one hundred ten of the Executive Law.
Section 2. Section 12 of the Domestic Relations Law is amended as
follows: No particular form or ceremony is requires when a marriage is
solemnized as herein provided by a clergyman, magistrate, or one-day
marriage officiant as designated by the secretary of state pursuant to
section one hundred ten of the Executive Law.
Section 3. Section 13 of the Domestic Relations Law is amended as
follows: It shall be necessary for all persons intended to be married
in New York State to obtain a marriage licence from a town, or city
clerk in New York State and to deliver said license, within sixty
days, to the clergyman, magistrate, or one-day marriage officiant as
designated by the secretary of state pursuant to section one hundred
ten of the Executive Law who is to officiate before the marriage
ceremony may be performed.
Section 4. Section 13 of the Domestic Relations Law is amended by
adding "one-day marriage officiant" to clergyman and magistrate.
Section 5. The Executive Law is amended by adding a new section 110
that outlines the requirements that must be met to designate a lay
person as a one-day marriage officiant.
Section 6. Establishes the effective date.
For generations, getting married meant standing solemnly in front of
clergy from one of the long-established religious faiths or a secular
official with the authority to solemnize a wedding.
However, an increasing number of couples, with an eye on creating a
personal ceremony as unique as the bride and groom, are choosing to be
married by a friend or relative. In order to do so, such laypersons
request and obtain ordinations from online churches as ministers in
the belief that is confers legality of the marriage.
However, New York law is unclear about the legal empowerment of
ministers who are ordained online for the sole purpose to preside over
weddings. Domestic Relations Law allows doe marriages to be solemnized
by a "clergyman or minister of any religion." However, the question to
whether such a minister is authorized to perform is unclear. At issue
as if the ordaining internet "church" is within the statutory
definition of dictated in the Religious Corporations Law.
However, a marriage is a legal contract. There have been instances
where this lack of clarity over an imposed definition of church and
qualifies clergy leaves open the possibility for these marriages to be
vulnerable to legal challenges, such as the context of annulment,
divorce or estate battles. In Ranieri v. Ranieri (1989) the New York
State Appellate Court, Second Judicial Department held that a minister
from a non-denominational online church had no authorizations to
perform marriages. However more recently, in Oswald v. Oswalk (2013)
the Appettate Court Third Department ruled that the same organization
may be able to ordain ministers who can legally officiate marriages.
To further confuse the situation, some jurisdictions in the State
recognize online ordination while some do not leaving even local,
county, and state officials uncertain of parameters governing the
rules of internet ordained ministers. At this time, the matter is
undecided and subject to interpretation by the presiding court, yet it
carries the potential consequences of a marriage that is deemed void.
California, Massachusetts and Vermont have passed laws that legally
allow individuals to become temporary marriage officials for one day
in acknowledgement of these contemporary trends in ceremony
preferences. Based on those models, this legislation will allow the
Secretary of the State to authorize an individual as a "one-day
marriage officiant" to officiate at a specific marriage in New York,
thereby providing a remedy to the question of validity of a marriage
performed by a layperson.
relation to designating lay individuals to solemnize marriages
Section 1. Section 11 of the domestic  relations  law  is  amended  by
adding a new subdivision 3-b to read as follows:
3-B.  A  ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT, AS DESIGNATED BY THE SECRETARY OF
STATE PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE HUNDRED TEN OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW.
§ 2. Section 12 of the domestic relations law is amended  to  read  as
§  12.    Marriage, how solemnized.  No particular form or ceremony is
[or], magistrate, OR ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT  AS  DESIGNATED  BY  THE
SECRETARY  OF STATE PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE HUNDRED TEN OF THE EXECUTIVE
LAW but the parties must solemnly declare in the presence of a clergyman
[or], magistrate,  OR  ONE-DAY  MARRIAGE  OFFICIANT  and  the  attending
witness  or  witnesses  that  they take each other as [husband and wife]
SPOUSES.  In every case, at least one witness beside the clergyman [or],
magistrate, OR ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT must be present at the ceremo-
The preceding provisions of this chapter, so far as they relate to the
manner of solemnizing marriages, shall not affect  marriages  among  the
people  called friends or quakers; nor marriages among the people of any
other denominations having as such any particular  mode  of  solemnizing
marriages;  but  such marriages must be solemnized in the manner hereto-
fore used and practiced in their respective societies or  denominations,
and marriages so solemnized shall be as valid as if this article had not
LBD02161-03-7
§  3.  Section 13 of the domestic relations law, as amended by chapter
95 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
§  13.  Marriage  licenses.  It  shall  be  necessary  for all persons
intended to be married in New York state to obtain  a  marriage  license
within  sixty  days,  to  the  clergyman  [or],  magistrate,  OR ONE-DAY
MARRIAGE OFFICIANT AS DESIGNATED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE  PURSUANT  TO
SECTION  ONE HUNDRED TEN OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW who is to officiate before
the marriage ceremony may be performed. In case of a marriage contracted
pursuant to subdivision four of section eleven  of  this  chapter,  such
license  shall  be  delivered to the judge of the court of record before
whom the acknowledgment is to be taken. If either party to the  marriage
resides  upon an island located not less than twenty-five miles from the
office or residence of the town clerk of the town of which  such  island
is  a  part,  and if such office or residence is not on such island such
license may be obtained from any justice of the peace residing  on  such
island,  and  such  justice, in respect to powers and duties relating to
marriage licenses, shall be subject to the provisions  of  this  article
governing  town  clerks  and  shall  file  all  statements or affidavits
received by him while acting under the provisions of this  section  with
be  denied  on the ground that the parties are of the same, or a differ-
§ 4. Section 13-b of the domestic relations law, as amended by chapter
clergyman [or], magistrate, OR ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT, AS DESIGNATED
BY  THE  SECRETARY  OF  STATE PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE HUNDRED TEN OF THE
EXECUTIVE LAW, performing the marriage ceremony, or if the  marriage  is
solemnized by written contract, of the judge before whom the contract is
acknowledged,  to annex to or endorse upon the marriage license the date
and hour the marriage is solemnized. A judge or justice of  the  supreme
court  of  this  state or the county judge of the county in which either
party to be married resides, or if such party is under sixteen years  of
age,  the  judge  of the family court of such county, if it shall appear
from an examination of the license and any other proofs submitted by the
parties that one of the parties is in danger of imminent  death,  or  by
reason  of  other emergency public interest will be promoted thereby, or
that such delay will work irreparable injury or great hardship upon  the
contracting  parties,  or one of them, may make an order authorizing the
the clergyman [or], magistrate, OR ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT performing
the marriage ceremony, or if the marriage is to be solemnized by written
contract,  with the judge before whom the contract is acknowledged, such
clergyman [or], magistrate, ONE-DAY  MARRIAGE  OFFICIANT  may  solemnize
such  marriage,  or  such judge may take such acknowledgment as the case
may be, without waiting for such three day period and  twenty-four  hour
S. 5858                             3
period  to  elapse.  The  clergyman,  magistrate  [or],  judge,  ONE-DAY
MARRIAGE OFFICIANT, AS DESIGNATED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE PURSUANT  TO
SECTION  ONE HUNDRED TEN OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW, must file such order with
the town or city clerk who issued the license within five days after the
marriage  is solemnized.   Such town or city clerk must record and index
the order in the book required to be kept by him OR  HER  for  recording
affidavits,  statements, consents and licenses, and when so recorded the
order shall become a public record  and  available  in  any  prosecution
under this section. A person who shall solemnize a marriage in violation
of  this  section  shall  be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction
thereof shall be punished by a fine of fifty dollars for  each  offense,
and  in addition thereto, his OR HER right to solemnize a marriage shall
be suspended for ninety days.
§ 5. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 110 to  read
§  110.  DESIGNATION OF ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT.  THE SECRETARY, OR
HIS OR HER DESIGNEE, SHALL ISSUE ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT DESIGNATIONS
TO LAYPERSONS OVER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN REGARDLESS OF STATE RESIDENCE WHO
INTEND TO PERFORM A MARRIAGE SOLEMNIZATION CEREMONY  WITHIN  THE  STATE.
SUCH  DESIGNATIONS  SHALL  ONLY  BE  ISSUED  AFTER AN APPLICANT REMITS A
COMPLETED APPLICATION FORM AND FEE, BOTH TO BE DETERMINED BY THE  SECRE-
TARY.  THE  APPLICATION FORM SHALL REQUIRE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AND
BE ACCOMPANIED BY LEGAL PROOF  OF  IDENTIFICATION.  FROM  THE  APPLICANT
REQUESTING  DESIGNATION:  APPLICANT  NAME, DATE OF BIRTH, LEGAL ADDRESS,
EMAIL ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER.   THE APPLICATION  FORM  SHALL  ALSO
REQUIRE  THE  NAMES,  ADDRESSES  AND  BIRTH  DATES  OF THE PARTIES TO BE
MARRIED AS THEY APPEAR ON THE APPLICATION FOR A MARRIAGE LICENSE  ISSUED
BY  A  TOWN  OR  CITY  CLERK IN THE STATE, THE NAME OF THE CITY, TOWN OR
VILLAGE IN WHICH SUCH SOLEMNIZATION WILL BE PERFORMED AND THE EXACT DATE
OF THE SOLEMNIZATION. THE APPLICATION AND FEE MUST BE  RECEIVED  BY  THE
DEPARTMENT  AT  LEAST  THIRTY  DAYS BEFORE THE DATE OF THE CEREMONY. THE
DEPARTMENT SHALL NOTIFY THE APPLICANT OF APPROVAL OF SUCH DESIGNATION NO
LATER THAN SEVEN DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY  STATED
ON  THE APPLICATION. SUCH DESIGNATIONS SHALL ONLY BE VALID FOR THE CERE-
MONY STATED ON THE APPLICATION AND SHALL EXPIRE UPON COMPLETION OF  SUCH
BILL NUMBER: S5858A
The purpose of this legislation is to designate lay individuals as one-
day marriage officiants in order to solemnize marriages.
Section 1. A new subdivision 3-b is added to Section 11 of the Domestic
Relations Law, and will read as follows: A one-day marriage officiant,
as designated by the secretary of state pursuant to section one hundred
ten of the Executive Law.
follows: It shall be necessary for all persons intended to be married in
New York State to obtain a marriage licence from a town, or city clerk
in New York State and to deliver said license, within sixty days, to the
clergyman, magistrate, or one-day marriage officiant as designated by
the secretary of state pursuant to section one hundred ten of the Execu-
tive Law who is to officiate before the marriage ceremony may be
Section 4. Section 13-b of the Domestic Relations Law is amended by
Section 5. The Executive Law is amended by adding a new section 110 that
outlines the requirements that must be met to designate a layperson as a
one-day marriage officiant.
request and obtain ordinations from online churches as ministers in the
belief that is confers legality of the marriage.
However, New York la is unclear about the legal empowerment of ministers
who are ordained online for the sole purpose to preside over weddings.
Domestic Relations Law allows doe marriages to be solemnized by a "cler-
gyman or minister of any religion." However, the question to whether
such a minister is authorized to perform is unclear. At issue as if the
ordaining internet "church" is within the statutory definition of
dictated in the Religious Corporations Law.  However, a marriage is a
legal contract. There have been instances where this lack of clarity
over an imposed definition of church and qualifies clergy leaves open
the possibility for these marriages to be vulnerable to legal chal-
lenges, such as the context of annulment, divorce or estate battles. In
Ranieri v. Ranieri (1989) the New York State Appellate Court, Second
Judicial Department held that a minster from a non-denominational online
church had no authorizations to perform marriages. However more recent-
ly, in Oswald v. Oswalk (2013) the Appellate Court Third Department
ruled that the same organization may be able to ordain ministers who can
legally officiate marriages.  To further confuse the situation, some
jurisdictions in the State recognize online ordination while some do not
leaving even local, county, and state officials uncertain of parameters
governing the rules of internet ordained ministers. At this time, the
matter is undecided and subject to interpretation by the presiding
court, yet it carries the potential consequences of a marriage that is
allow individuals to become temporary marriage officials for one day in
acknowledgement of these contemporary trends in ceremony preferences.
Based on those models, this legislation will allow the Secretary of the
State to authorize an individual as a "one-day marriage officiant" to
officiate at a specific marriage in New York, thereby providing a remedy
to the question of validity of a marriage performed by a layperson.
LBD02161-04-8
§ 13. Marriage  licenses.  It  shall  be  necessary  for  all  persons
within sixty  days,  to  the  clergyman  [or],  magistrate,  OR  ONE-DAY
MARRIAGE  OFFICIANT  AS DESIGNATED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE PURSUANT TO
SECTION ONE HUNDRED TEN OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW who is to officiate  before
pursuant  to  subdivision  four  of section eleven of this chapter, such
license shall be delivered to the judge of the court  of  record  before
whom  the acknowledgment is to be taken. If either party to the marriage
resides upon an island located not less than twenty-five miles from  the
office  or  residence of the town clerk of the town of which such island
is a part, and if such office or residence is not on  such  island  such
license  may  be obtained from any justice of the peace residing on such
island, and such justice, in respect to powers and  duties  relating  to
marriage  licenses,  shall  be subject to the provisions of this article
35 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE  HUNDRED  TEN  OF  THE
EXECUTIVE  LAW,  performing the marriage ceremony, or if the marriage is
acknowledged, to annex to or endorse upon the marriage license the  date
and  hour  the marriage is solemnized. A judge or justice of the supreme
court of this state or the county judge of the county  in  which  either
party  to  be  married  resides,  or if such party is at least seventeen
upon the contracting parties, or one of them, may, upon  making  written
affirmative  findings under subdivision three of section fifteen of this
article, make an order authorizing the immediate  solemnization  of  the
marriage and upon filing such order with the clergyman [or], magistrate,
OR  ONE-DAY  MARRIAGE  OFFICIANT performing the marriage ceremony, or if
the marriage is to be solemnized by written  contract,  with  the  judge
S. 5858--A                          3
before  whom  the  contract is acknowledged, such clergyman [or], magis-
trate, OR ONE DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT may  solemnize  such  marriage,  or
such  judge  may  take  such  acknowledgment as the case may be, without
waiting for such three day period and twenty-four hour period to elapse.
The clergyman, magistrate [or], judge, OR ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT, AS
DESIGNATED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE HUNDRED TEN
OF  THE  EXECUTIVE LAW, must file such order with the town or city clerk
who issued the license within five days after  the  marriage  is  solem-
nized.  Such  town  or city clerk must record and index the order in the
book required to be kept by him or her for recording affidavits,  state-
ments,  consents  and  licenses,  and  when  so recorded the order shall
become a public record and  available  in  any  prosecution  under  this
section.  A  person  who shall solemnize a marriage in violation of this
section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor  and  upon  conviction  thereof
shall  be  punished  by a fine of fifty dollars for each offense, and in
addition thereto, his or her right to  solemnize  a  marriage  shall  be
suspended for ninety days.
§  5. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 110 to read
§ 110. DESIGNATION OF ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT.   THE SECRETARY,  OR
INTEND  TO  PERFORM  A MARRIAGE SOLEMNIZATION CEREMONY WITHIN THE STATE.
SUCH DESIGNATIONS SHALL ONLY BE  ISSUED  AFTER  AN  APPLICANT  REMITS  A
COMPLETED  APPLICATION FORM AND FEE, BOTH TO BE DETERMINED BY THE SECRE-
TARY. THE APPLICATION FORM SHALL REQUIRE THE FOLLOWING  INFORMATION  AND
BE  ACCOMPANIED  BY  LEGAL  PROOF  OF IDENTIFICATION. FROM THE APPLICANT
REQUESTING DESIGNATION: APPLICANT NAME, DATE OF  BIRTH,  LEGAL  ADDRESS,
EMAIL  ADDRESS  AND  TELEPHONE NUMBER.   THE APPLICATION FORM SHALL ALSO
REQUIRE THE NAMES, ADDRESSES AND  BIRTH  DATES  OF  THE  PARTIES  TO  BE
MARRIED  AS THEY APPEAR ON THE APPLICATION FOR A MARRIAGE LICENSE ISSUED
BY A TOWN OR CITY CLERK IN THE STATE, THE NAME  OF  THE  CITY,  TOWN  OR
OF  THE  SOLEMNIZATION.  THE APPLICATION AND FEE MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE
DEPARTMENT AT LEAST THIRTY DAYS BEFORE THE DATE  OF  THE  CEREMONY.  THE
LATER  THAN SEVEN DAYS PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY STATED
ON THE APPLICATION. SUCH DESIGNATIONS SHALL ONLY BE VALID FOR THE  CERE-
MONY  STATED ON THE APPLICATION AND SHALL EXPIRE UPON COMPLETION OF SUCH
BILL NUMBER: S5858B
follows: No particular form or ceremony is required when a marriage is
New York State to obtain a marriage license from a town, or city clerk
However, New York law is unclear about the legal empowerment of minis-
ters who are ordained online for the sole purpose to preside over
weddings. Domestic Relations Law allows for marriages to be solemnized
whether such a minister is authorized to perform is unclear. At issue as
if the ordaining internet "church" is within the statutory definition of
dictated in the Religious Corporations Law.
However, a marriage is a legal contract. There have been instances where
this lack of clarity over an imposed definition of church and qualifies
clergy leaves open the possibility for these marriages to be vulnerable
to legal challenges, such as the context of annulment, divorce or estate
battles. In Ranieri v. Ranieri (1989) the New York State Appellate
Court, Second Judicial Department held that a minister from a non-deno-
minational online church had no authorizations to perform marriages.
However more recently, in Oswald v. Oswald (2013) the Appellate Court
Third Department ruled that the same organization may be able to ordain
ministers who can legally officiate marriages.  To further confuse the
situation, some jurisdictions in the State recognize online ordination
while some do not leaving even local, county, and state officials uncer-
tain of parameters governing the rules of internet ordained ministers.
At this time, the matter is undecided and subject to interpretation by
the presiding court, yet it carries the potential consequences of a
marriage that is deemed void.
Section 1. Subdivisions 1, 1-a, 2 and 3-a of section 11 of the  domes-
tic relations law, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 95 of the laws of
2011,  subdivision  1-a  as  amended  by chapter 96 of the laws of 2011,
subdivision 2 as amended by section 1 of subpart E of part B of  chapter
20  of  the laws of 2015, and subdivision 3-a as added by chapter 450 of
the laws of 2014, are amended and a new subdivision 3-b is added to read
1. A clergyman or minister of any religion, or by the  senior  leader,
or  any  of the other leaders, of The Society for Ethical Culture in the
city of New York, having its principal office in the borough of  Manhat-
tan,  or  by  the  leader  of  The Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture,
having its principal office in the borough of Brooklyn of  the  city  of
New  York,  or  of the Westchester Ethical Society, having its principal
office in Westchester county, or of the Ethical Culture Society of  Long
Island,  having  its principal office in Nassau county, or of the River-
dale-Yonkers Ethical Society having its principal office in Bronx  coun-
ty,  or  by  the  leader of any other Ethical Culture Society affiliated
with the American Ethical Union; provided that no clergyman or  minister
as  defined in section two of the religious corporations law, or Society
for Ethical Culture leader shall be required to solemnize  any  marriage
LBD02161-09-8
when  acting  in  his  or her capacity under this subdivision.  [1-a.] A
refusal by a clergyman or minister as defined  in  section  two  of  the
religious  corporations  law,  or  Society for Ethical Culture leader to
gyman or minister[.]; OR,
2.  The  current  or a former governor, a mayor of a village, a county
executive of a county, or a mayor,  recorder,  city  magistrate,  police
justice or police magistrate of a city, a former mayor or the city clerk
of  a  city of the first class of over one million inhabitants or any of
his or her deputies or not more than four regular clerks, designated  by
him  or  her  for  such  purpose as provided in section eleven-a of this
article, except that in cities which contain more than one hundred thou-
sand and less than one million inhabitants, a marriage shall  be  solem-
nized  by  the mayor, or police justice, and by no other officer of such
city,  except  as  provided  in  subdivisions  one  and  three  of  this
section[.]; OR,
3-a.  A judge or peacemaker judge of any Indian tribal court, a chief,
a headman, or any member of any tribal council or other  governing  body
of any nation, tribe or band of Indians in this state duly designated by
such  body  for  the  purpose  of officiating at marriages, or any other
persons duly designated by such body, in keeping with  the  culture  and
traditions  of  any such nation, tribe or band of Indians in this state,
to officiate at marriages[.]; OR,
3-B. A ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT, AS DESIGNATED BY THE  SECRETARY  OF
STATE PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE HUNDRED TEN OF THE EXECUTIVE LAW; OR,
§  2.  Section  12 of the domestic relations law is amended to read as
§ 12.  Marriage, how solemnized.  No particular form  or  ceremony  is
[or],  magistrate,  OR  ONE-DAY  MARRIAGE OFFICIANT AS DESIGNATED BY THE
SECRETARY OF STATE PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE HUNDRED TEN OF THE  EXECUTIVE
[or],  magistrate,  OR  ONE-DAY  MARRIAGE  OFFICIANT  and  the attending
witness or witnesses that they take each other  as  [husband  and  wife]
manner  of  solemnizing  marriages, shall not affect marriages among the
people called friends or quakers; nor marriages among the people of  any
other  denominations  having  as such any particular mode of solemnizing
marriages; but such marriages must be solemnized in the  manner  hereto-
fore  used and practiced in their respective societies or denominations,
§ 3. Section 13 of the domestic relations law, as amended  by  chapter
S. 5858--B                          3
party to be married resides, or if such  party  is  at  least  seventeen
years  of age, the judge of the family court of such county, if it shall
by the parties that one of the parties is in danger of  imminent  death,
or  by reason of other emergency public interest will be promoted there-
by, or that such delay will work irreparable injury  or  great  hardship
upon  the  contracting parties, or one of them, may, upon making written
affirmative findings under subdivision three of section fifteen of  this
article,  make  an  order authorizing the immediate solemnization of the
OR ONE-DAY MARRIAGE OFFICIANT performing the marriage  ceremony,  or  if
the  marriage  is  to  be solemnized by written contract, with the judge
before whom the contract is acknowledged, such  clergyman  [or],  magis-
trate,  OR  ONE  DAY  MARRIAGE OFFICIANT may solemnize such marriage, or
such judge may take such acknowledgment as  the  case  may  be,  without
S. 5858--B                          4