Florida judge strikes down state's same-sex marriage ban

A Florida judge on Thursday ruled the state's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. But the ruling won't take effect until the case works through the appeals process.

"it is our country's proud history to protect the rights of the individual, the rights of the unpopular, and the rights of the powerless"

Like other judges that have struck down states' same-sex marriage bans, Florida Circuit Judge Luis Garcia cited the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause to justify his decision.

"This court is aware that the majority of voters oppose same-sex marriage," Garcia wrote, "but it is our country's proud history to protect the rights of the individual, the rights of the unpopular, and the rights of the powerless, even at the cost of offending the majority."

The judge, however, put the decision on hold as it works through the appeals process, like other same-sex marriage cases before this one.

Garcia's decision is just the latest in a chain of victories for LGBT advocates around the country after the US Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on same-sex marriages. Most recently, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and judges in Colorado, Indiana, and Wisconsin ruled in favor of same-sex marriage rights.

Update: This post was updated to reflect the judge's decision to stay his decision as it works through the appeals process.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via