Salazar began issuing licenses to same-sex couples on August 23, following an order issued by a state district judge the day before in "Hanna v. Salazar". On August 26, 2013, in "Griego v. Oliver", an Albuquerque judge ruled in favor of a lesbian couple and ordered Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a self-identified proponent of legalized same-sex marriage, to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Bernalillo County, the state's largest county by population. Judge Alan Malott's opinion stated that any laws that contradict New Mexico's gender-neutral language on marriage and the state's "Human Rights Act" are unconstitutional. On August 27, in compliance with this court order, County Clerk Oliver began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On August 27, San Miguel County Clerk Melanie Rivera said her county would follow the lead of three other New Mexican counties in issuing gender-neutral marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Valencia County Clerk Peggy Carabajal became the first Republican county clerk in New Mexico since Victoria Dunlap nine years prior to issue same-sex marriage licenses, effective on August 27. In "Stark v. Martinez", a district judge issued a writ of mandamus similar to those in the Santa Fe and Bernalillo county lawsuits ordering the county clerk in Taos County to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples or else explain why not. The clerk, Anna Martinez, said she would not contest the ruling and confirmed the county would begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on August 28. The court order came hours after Martinez said she would not issue same-sex marriage licenses unless ordered to do so, declaring, "I have to follow the law, and the law requires that marriage licenses state the male and female." On August 27, Los Alamos County Clerk Sharon Stover said she would not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples until she received a court order instructing her to do so. She said "I want to have a good law that will hold up for all people. We need a ruling from the State Supreme Court." On August 29, in "Newton v. Stover" Judge Sheri Raphaelson ordered Stover to issue the license or appear on September 4 to explain her refusal to do so. On September 3, Stover announced she would not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and would appear in court on September 4 to argue her case. She said:  On September 4, after hearing Stover's arguments, Raphaelson ordered her to issue the marriage licenses.