The ACLU of Florida is asking a circuit judge to lift a stay on same-sex marriages in Florida. Lynn Hatter reports the move comes after the nation’s high court refused to take up several appeals to gay marriage rulings from around the country.
Earlier in the year, Hinkle ruled Florida’s constitutional ban on same-sex unions was unconstitutional, but put a stay in place until similar cases from other states were resolved. The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to take up the cases and the ACLU’s Daniel Tilley says he believes there’s no longer a reason the stay should remain.
“I think that’s a signal that certainly we saw, and I think a lot of judges around the country are going to see as well in thinking about whether to stay their own decisions," Tilley says. "That’s why we’ve gone to Judge Hinkle, asking to lift this stay.”
According to the Associated Press, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office says it will fight the request. In a statement, Governor Rick Scott says, “the Attorney General is defending Florida’s constitution, which is her duty. This is a matter that will be decided by the courts. Whatever the eventual outcome is from the courts, Florida will of course abide with it.”
