Same-sex marriage starts in Alabama, but some counties defy federal ruling

Same-sex couples from all over Alabama flocked to courthouses today to get married, but some counties refused to take part. While probate judges in many of the state's largest counties, including Jefferson County, followed last month's ruling that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage, others followed the order of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who instructed the state's probate judges not to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In Birmingham, the situation sparked protests…