Today it’s a state court judge appointed by Jeb Bush who did the honors in declaring that the U.S. Constitution prohibits discrimination against same-sex couples who want to marry in Florida.
In his ruling, Judge Garcia wrote, “This court concludes that a citizen’s right to marry is a fundamental right that belongs to the individual.” The ruling was stayed until Tuesday, July 22, at which point same-sex couples in Monroe County can begin obtaining marriage licenses, unless a stay is requested by the state attorney general and granted by the state court of appeals or Florida Supreme Court.
The tally from the Human Rights Campaign:
In total, 33 states either have marriage equality or have seen state marriage bans struck down as unconstitutional in court. Since the Supreme Court’s historic marriage rulings last year, there have been 16 consecutive federal court decisions that bans on marriage equality are unconstitutional. These rulings have come from judges appointed by both Democrat and Republican presidents.
Is the Arkansas Supreme Court going to make legal history of the sort Arkansas hasn’t made since the 1950s? Stay tuned. A rump group of the court telephoned a stay of Judge Chris Piazza’s marriage equality ruling, not a happy omen.