A conservative group filed two lawsuits on Dec. 30 to stop a county clerk, a city mayor and a judge from participating in same-sex marriages next week in Florida.
The Florida Family Action Inc. is asking a judge to prevent Osceola County Clerk of Court Armando Ramirez, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Circuit Judge Robert LeBlanc from officiating or issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples starting next week.
Florida’s ban on gay marriage is scheduled to be lifted Jan. 6.
Echoing a number of county clerks and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is currently seeking clarification from U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle about his August ruling that struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, the conservative group argues that the lifting of the ban applies only to Washington County in Florida’s Panhandle, where the legal challenge to the state’s ban originated.
Ramirez has promised to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Dyer and LeBlanc have both indicated they would officiate over same-sex marriages.
The lawsuits argue that, ‘an order and injunction issued at the federal trial level is not binding on any person … who is not a named party in the action.’
‘They’re defying the rule of law,” said John Stemberger, president of Florida Family Action. ‘They’re just saying ‘let’s ride this wave of inevitability’.”
Florida Family Action has requested emergency hearings for its lawsuits to be considered and posted a statement Tuesday on their Facebook page.
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