PROGRESS

Miami Lifts Same-Sex Marriage Ban

Republican attorney general has already appealed.

As of Friday afternoon, Florida’s Miami-Dade county is free of the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, thanks to a ruling by a state judge. The ruling mirrors the decision made by another judge last week that applied to the Florida Keys, though no marriage licenses in either county will be issued in the immediate future to allow time for appeals. “Preventing couples from marrying solely on the basis of their sexual orientation serves no governmental interest,” Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel wrote in her ruling for Miami. “It serves only to hurt, to discriminate, to deprive same-sex couples and their families of equal dignity, to label and treat them as second-class citizens, and to deem them unworthy of participation in one of the fundamental institutions of our society.” The effect of Friday’s ruling was promptly put on hold after Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi filed notice of appeal, who also appealed last week’s ruling for the Keys.