Tallahassee – Florida attorney general Pam Bondi is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to extend a stay on same-sex marriage in Florida.
On Dec. 3, the 11th District Court of Appeals denied the state’s request to extend a stay on same-sex marriages. That means the stay, put in place by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, expires Jan. 5 – at the end of the day, so marriages wouldn’t actually begin until Jan. 6.
According to a media release from Bondi’s office, that decision “has created statewide confusion about the effect of the injunction, which is directed to only one of Florida’s sixty-seven clerks of court.”
Bondi filed an application with the U.S. Supreme Court – specifically, Justice Clarence Thomas – requesting that the stay be extended until all of the current court cases fighting for marriage equality are resolved.
Read the full application: SCOTUSSTAYAPPLICATION
Orlando attorney Mary Meeks is part of the legal team in one of Florida’s court cases fighting for marriage equality.
“If the U.S. Supreme Court denies the request, or simply fails to act on it, marriage will start in Florida on January 6,” Meeks said. “If Clarence Thomas temporarily grants the request, it still requires further approval by the full court. This is Bondi’s last long shot to stop devoted same-sex couples from marrying in Florida.”
In a media release, the ACLU of Florida called Bondi’s filing “disappointing” but pointed out that when it comes to similar situations with the Supreme Court, things have worked out in favor of marriage.
“Since October, the Supreme Court has refused all requests to stay rulings striking down the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage in other states,” said ACLU of Florida LGBT rights attorney Daniel Tilley. “We are hopeful they will do the same here so that loving couples and their children can get the protections for which they have waited so long.”
