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Attorney General Files Notice Of Appeal In Monroe County Gay Marriage Approval

Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones at home with their dogs Riddick and Kira.
Kenne Tucker
/
Facebook
Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones at home with their dogs Riddick and Kira.
Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones at home with their dogs Riddick and Kira.
Credit Kenne Tucker / Facebook
/
Facebook
Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones at home with their dogs Riddick and Kira.

Monroe Circuit Judge Luis Garcia declared Florida's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional Thursday afternoon. He ruled in favor of Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones, a same-sex couple seeking to marry -- but they will only be allowed to do so after Tuesday, July 22.

Later on Thursday afternoon, the office of Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a notice of appeal against Judge Garcia's decision.

The judge compared the gay-marriage ban to earlier laws that prevented women from voting, banned interracial marriages and imprisoned Japanese Americans during World War II.

The ruling is one more example of the changing tide of public opinion in Florida, but even Key West -- one of the most gay-friendly places in the U.S. -- wasn’t anywhere close to being at the vanguard in marriage quality rulings.

You can read about the couple and Judge Garcia's ruling, at MiamiHerald.com.

Scroll below to read the judge's ruling (click the arrow on the top left to get rid of the page-by-page view):

Copyright 2020 WLRN 91.3 FM. To see more, visit .

Nancy Klingener covers the Florida Keys for WLRN. Since moving to South Florida in 1989, she has worked for the Miami Herald, Solares Hill newspaper and the Monroe County Public Library.
I manage WLRN's multimedia and engagement projects, including work on WLRN.org, all our social media platforms, and community events.
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