A judge in the Florida Keys has overturned the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage after a legal challenge by six gay couples said it effectively made them second-class citizens.It appears the ruling does not legalize marriage in the entire state, but just in Monroe County. The judge also stayed his ruling "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 ruling was issued Thursday by Circuit Judge Luis M. Garcia and applies only to Monroe County, which covers the Keys. The lawsuit contended that the same-sex marriage ban approved by voters in 2008 violated the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection under the law. The judge says licenses could be issued starting Tuesday.
So, like what has happened in other states, the ruling may quickly come to a halt if the state legislature requests a stay.
We need a federal law already. This patchwork bullshit and legal limbo caused by stays is absolutely untenable.
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