In 2008, an overwhelming majority (62%) of Florida citizens voted to preserve the definition of natural marriage, but now a handful of judges have silenced the voice of five million voters by changing the definition of marriage to include two men, or conversely, two women.
Further unraveling of the definition will occur, as legal logic must dictate.
For background, read 'Gay Marriage' Loses in Federal Court, on to Supreme Court
And read the increasing number of court rulings AGAINST the redefinition of marriage.
In addition, read 'Gay Marriage' Not Favored in Polls, Only in Court
-- From "Gay marriage ban ends as couples wed throughout Florida" by Mike Schneider, Associated Press 1/6/15
[Today] U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle's ruling that Florida's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional took effect in all 67 counties.
Florida — the third-most populous state, with 19.9 million people — becomes the 36th state where gay marriage is legal. Seventy percent of Americans now live in states where same-sex couples can legally wed.
"The day is going to come very soon where America is going to wake up and say, 'Whoa! Wait a second! I wanted two guys to live together. I didn't want the fundamental transformation of society,'" said John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy council. He led the petition drive to put the gay marriage ban on the ballot back in 2008.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Same-sex marriages begin in Miami-Dade County" by Patricia Mazzei and Steve Rothaus, Miami Herald 1/6/15
[Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Sarah] Zabel declared Florida’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional in July. But she stayed her decision, pending appeal [until yesterday].
In August, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Hinkle of Tallahassee also overturned the ban. But Hinkle, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, stayed his decision till the end of the day Monday to provide time for legal appeals. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Republican who vigorously defended the ban, sought extensions of the stay from the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Both turned her down.
Bondi’s office appeared to concede defeat Monday afternoon.
Last year, Zabel was the second state judge — after Luis Garcia in the Keys — to overturn the 2008 amendment that required marriages to be between a man and a woman. Four South Florida judges sided with same-sex couples who either sought to marry or divorce, or to have the state recognize their out-of-state marriage. The other two judges hailed from Broward and Palm Beach counties.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Republican leaders silent as gay marriages become legal in Florida" by Michael Van Sickler and Mary Ellen Klas, Miami Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau 1/5/15
As he prepared to attend inaugural festivities in Tallahassee, Gov. Rick Scott had his office repeat a prepared statement from last week when asked about a Miami-Dade judge’s decision to allow gay marriages.
“We are working with our agencies to follow the court’s decision,” said Jeri Bustamante, a spokeswoman, in an email. Asked if the state planned to drop its appeal in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Bustamante replied that Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi “is handling this.”
Bondi wouldn’t directly comment on Monday’s developments. When asked about what happens next, her spokesman, Whitney Ray, replied in an email that “the judge has ruled, and we wish these couples the best.”
The silence from Florida Republican leaders was deafening.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "As gay marriages begin in Florida, Supreme Court is set to meet on issue" by Robert Barnes, Washington Post 1/5/15
[Supreme Court] justices refused — over the objections of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas — to extend a stay [for Florida], even though the issue was on appeal. A federal judge’s order ruling the state’s ban unconstitutional has not yet been reviewed by the next court up the ladder, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
On Friday, Supreme Court justices will meet in private to consider whether to act on cases that could provide a nationwide answer on whether same-sex marriages must be allowed. On the same day, a federal appeals court will consider bans in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana.
The justices this week will be considering petitions from five states where lower-court judges, bucking a nationwide trend, upheld laws banning same-sex marriage and barring the recognition of such unions performed in states where they are legal.
Without explanation, the justices in October passed up that chance. But that was before a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati ruled that there was no constitutional right to marriage that must be extended to gay couples and that states were free to define marriage as they wished.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read about so-called churches diving into the abyss of homosexual advocacy.
And read Pastors Who Won't Confront the Gay Agenda Deserve Hell, Says Graham
