FLORIDA: AG Pam Bondi Reverses, Asks State Supreme Court To Rule On Marriage

Via the Miami Herald:

In a startling move Monday night, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said she wants the Florida Supreme Court to decide once-and-for-all whether same-sex couples can marry in the Sunshine State. “That is unquestionably an important issue, and the Plaintiffs, the State, and all citizens deserve a definitive answer,” Bondi’s office wrote in a 6 p.m. filing to the state’s Third District Court of Appeal. “Until recently, the issue was squarely before the United States Supreme Court, and it appeared that a definitive answer was coming. Unfortunately, the United States Supreme Court decided not to answer the question.” Since it is unlikely the U.S. Supreme Court will decide same-sex marriage anytime soon, Bondi has relented. “Florida’s courts will therefore need to resolve the issue without further United States Supreme Court guidance,” she wrote in Monday’s filing. “Because there are cases pending in multiple districts, and because this is an issue of great public importance that now warrants immediate Florida Supreme Court review, the State respectfully suggests pass-through certification.”

You will recall that Bondi had asked the Third District (a state court) to sit on its cases until SCOTUS rules. Read the full filing.

UPDATE: Equality Florida reacts via press release.

While we look forward to having this matter move forward to the Florida Supreme Court, and asked for this on July 30th, AG Bondi and Governor Rick Scott continue to waste taxpayer money while same-sex couples throughout the state continue to endure the indignities of being treated like second-class citizens. "Nearly two-thirds of the country now live in a state that values equality. How much longer must loving couples in Florida wait to protect their families? Now is the time for AG Bondi and Gov Scott to step on the right side of history and not let Florida go down in history as one of the last states to uphold the principles of fairness.