BREAKING: Palm Beach County Judge Overturns Florida's Gay Marriage Ban
We're winning Florida from the bottom to the top! Literally! First Key West, then Miami, then Fort Lauderdale, and now Palm Beach.
UPDATE: Read the ruling. The suit was filed by a man who was unable to claim the estate of his deceased husband. It appears that Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi didn't even bother to respond to his suit.
UPDATE II: From the Palm Beach Post.
Following recent rulings from judges in three South Florida counties, a Palm Beach County Circuit judge this afternoon issued a ruling declaring Florida’s ban on same sex marriage unconstitutional. Circuit Judge Diana Lewis’ opinion was tied to a probate case surrounding the death of Frank Bangor, a man who owned property in Florida and married W. Jason Simpson in Delaware, where gay marriage is legal. Lewis is running for reelection this month. Under Florida law, a spouse is recognized as a personal representative of an estate provided the out-of-state marriage is recognized as valid under state law. Simpson, through attorney Andrew Fein, petitioned Lewis to be recognized as Bangor’s personal representative despite a ban on gay marriage in Florida.UPDATE III: Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade are Florida's three-most populous counties. Including Monroe County, a total of 5.74 million Floridians now enjoy marriage equality. Stayed equality, that is. That's 29% of the state's total population.
UPDATE IV: From Equality Florida: "The ruling is limited to the facts of this case - meaning it only applies to this plaintiff or for these specific circumstances. No order for clerks to issue licenses. No stay issued." So maybe my math above is off.....
Labels: Florida, marriage equality, Palm Beach County