Editorial Of The Day

From the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel:

It's hard to imagine that any state attorney would waste time prosecuting a clerk over a marriage license. By nature, these folks want to win, and given the preponderance of court rulings about the discriminatory ban, it's a good bet they wouldn't. Already, the state attorneys in Palm Beach and Monroe counties have made clear they won't be making any such arrests. We encourage other state attorneys to do the same. Sure, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court have yet to hear Bondi's appeal of the substance of Hinkle's ruling. But neither court has agreed to extend Hinkle's stay past Jan. 6, an indication of which way these constitutional minds are thinking. Scott and Bondi can tell their supporters they've fought the good fight. But their argument — that 62 percent of Florida voters supported the amendment, that marriage is meant to produce children, and that allowing same-sex marriage would "impose significant public harm" — is failing to pass constitutional muster. Scott has said he doesn't support discrimination. And Bondi has conceded that "the Supreme Court has now spoken, and the stay will end on Jan. 5." It's time for them to give up this fight. It's past time.

The state has until the end of the day to respond to the Washington County clerk's request for clarification on whether she can only marry the plaintiffs in the federal suit that resulted in the overturn of Florida's ban.