On October 8, 2014, Charleston County Probate Judge Irvin Condon accepted a marriage license application given by a female couple, the first same-sex marriage license application allowed in the state, citing Bostic v. Rainey. Some same-sex marriage license applications in other sections of the state were denied by courts. On October 9, 2014, Chief Justice Roy Cooper issued an order allowing same-sex marriages to go forward while his office appeals the court rulings against them. In South Carolina, there is no prohibition against gay people marrying each other. Same-sex couples are allowed under the law just like any other couple. All that changed with two recent court cases. In August 2012, Judge James Moore ruled that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional as applied to same-sex couples. He also ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry in South Carolina despite being barred from doing so at the federal level. Moore's decision was stayed pending appeal, and it is now in effect. The State has not appealed this ruling, and same-sex couples can marry during this time. However, when Judge Moore retires in January 2013, the stay will expire and same-sex marriages performed during this time frame will be void. In May 2009, Judge Robert Ervin ruled that denying marriage rights to same-sex couples was unconstitutional and violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the state constitution.