Brenner v. Scott

Last updated
Brenner v. Scott
Grimsley v. Scott
Court U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
DecidedAugust 21, 2014
Citation(s)999 F. Supp. 2d 1278
Case history
Prior action(s)Northern District of Florida
  • Apr. 21, 2014: Cases ordered consolidated.
Subsequent action(s)U.S. Eleventh Circuit
  • Sep. 19, 2014: Appealed as Brenner v. Armstrong, No. 14-14061 and -14066, briefing ordered.
Holding
Florida's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional as they violate the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses.
Court membership
Judge(s) sitting Robert L. Hinkle, U.S.D.J.

In Brenner v. Scott and its companion case, Grimsley v. Scott, a U.S. district court found Florida's constitutional and statutory same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional. On August 21, 2014, the court issued a preliminary injunction that prevents that state from enforcing its bans and then stayed its injunction until stays are lifted in the three same-sex marriage cases then petitioning for a writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court– Bostic , Bishop , and Kitchen –and for 91 days thereafter. When the district court's preliminary injunction took effect on January 6, 2015, enforcement of Florida's bans on same-sex marriage ended.

Contents

The state defendants appealed to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, where it was styled Brenner v. Armstrong.

District court proceedings

Pictured here are the plaintiffs in the same-gender marriage lawsuit. From left to right- Steve Schlairet, Chuck Jones, James Brenner, Ozzie Russ. Pictured here are the plaintiffs in the same-gender marriage lawsuit. From left to right- Steve Schlairet, Chuck Jones, James Brenner, Ozzie Russ..JPG
Pictured here are the plaintiffs in the same-gender marriage lawsuit. From left to right- Steve Schlairet, Chuck Jones, James Brenner, Ozzie Russ.

Civil rights attorneys Bill Sheppard (Sheppard, White, Kachergus, & DeMaggio, PA) and Sam Jacobson (Bledsoe, Jacobson, Schmidt, Wright, & Wilkinson) filed Brenner v. Scott on behalf of a Leon County, Florida, same-sex couple seeking to have their Canadian marriage recognized by the state. Both plaintiffs in this case are state employees; James Brenner works for the state Forest Service and Charles Jones works in the state Department of Education. They complained of being unable to designate each other as a spouse in the state retirement benefits program because of Florida's non-recognition of and refusal to license same-sex marriages. [1] [2] A second couple (Steven Schlairet and Ozzie Russ) were added to the Brenner suit on March 16, 2014. Steven is a retired hospital administrator, and Ozzie manages a local fast food restaurant. This couple sought to obtain a marriage license from the Washington County Court House, in Chipley, Florida. As a result of the Clerk of Courts' refusal to issue the marriage license to the couple, they joined the Brenner lawsuit. [3]

Civil rights attorneys and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed Grimsley v. Scott on behalf of South Florida-based LGBT-advocacy group SAVE and eight same-sex couples seeking recognition of their marriages legally established in other jurisdictions. [4] [5]

Both cases were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida and assigned to U.S. District Judge Robert Lewis Hinkle. Brenner was initially filed on February 28, 2014, and Grimsley on March 13, 2014. Each case names Florida Governor Rick Scott as the lead defendant. On April 21, 2014, Judge Hinkle ordered the Brenner and Grimsley cases consolidated for case-management purposes, though they remain separate on the docket.

Ruling

On August 21, 2014, Judge Hinkle issued a ruling in Brenner and Grimsley that granted the same-sex couple plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction. In ordering the injunction, Judge Hinkle found that Florida's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional: [6] [7]

This order holds that marriage is a fundamental right as that term is used in cases arising under the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, that Florida's same-sex marriage provisions thus must be reviewed under strict scrutiny, and that, when so reviewed, the provisions are unconstitutional.

Judge Hinkle added: [8]

The institution of marriage survived when bans on interracial marriage were struck down, and the institution will survive when bans on same-sex marriage are struck down. Liberty, tolerance, and respect are not zero-sum concepts. Those who enter opposite-sex marriages are harmed not at all when others, including these plaintiffs, are given the liberty to choose their own life partners and are shown the respect that comes with formal marriage. Tolerating views with which one disagrees is a hallmark of civilized society. [8]

Stay of injunction

Judge Hinkle's injunction ordered the Secretary of the Florida Department of Management Services and the Florida Surgeon General "and their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys" to cease enforcing Florida's ban on same-sex marriage. It also ordered the Clerk of Court of Washington County to issue a marriage license to two of the plaintiffs. He issued a temporary stay of his preliminary injunction, pending resolution of the three same-sex marriage cases that were then petitioning for a writ of certiorari before the U.S. Supreme Court, and for 91 days thereafter: Bostic v. Schaefer , Bishop v. Smith , and Kitchen v. Herbert . He also removed the governor and attorney general as defendants.

In a separate part of his injunction, which he did not stay, he ordered the state to revise the death certificate of Carol Goldwasser to include the name of her wife, Arlene Goldberg, one of the plaintiffs. They had married in New York in 2011. [9]

On October 7, 2014, following the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection the previous day of certiorari in Bostic, Bishop, and Kitchen, the Brenner and Grimsley plaintiffs filed separate motions asking Judge Hinkle to lift his stay before the 91-day period under the original order expired. The state defendants indicated that they object to lifting the stay. [10] Judge Hinkle rejected that request on November 5, [11] and on November 19 the state asked the Eleventh Circuit to extend Hinkle's stay pending appeal. [12] An Eleventh Circuit panel of Frank Hull, Charles Wilson, and Adalberto Jordan denied that request on December 3. [13]

On December 15, the state asked Justice Clarence Thomas, as Circuit Justice for the Eleventh Circuit, to stay Hinkle's preliminary injunction. [14] Attorney General Pam Bondi based her request on the need to maintain statewide uniformity, noting Hinkle's injunction was directed to just one of Florida's sixty-seven clerks of court. [15] Justice Thomas referred the request to the full court which, on December 19, rejected Florida's request with Justices Scalia and Thomas dissenting for the record. [16]

On December 23, the Washington County Clerk of Court, whom Hinkle's injunction ordered to issue a marriage license to one of the plaintiff couples, filed an emergency request asking Hinkle if she was also required to issue marriage licenses to all qualified same-sex couples once his injunction took effect. [17] On December 24, Judge Hinkle issued an order in which he noted that his injunction applied to the Secretary of the Department of Management Services, the Surgeon General, "and their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys—and others in active concert or participation with any of them". He gave the Secretary until December 29 to explain whether he believes the injunction as written applies to each court clerk. [18] Two briefs for the plaintiff same-sex couples told the court that all Florida clerks of court act "in concert" with the state defendants, that the statute that penalizes a clerk for issuing a marriage license to a same-sex couple was unenforceable because it was based on the statute the court ruled unconstitutional, and that the court could extend its order to cover all Florida clerks if necessary. [19] [20] In the brief for the Secretary of DMS, Attorney General Bondi said the court could make its order more specific and that a clerk is an "independent constitutional officer" not subject to the Secretary. [21] An amicus brief filed by Florida Family Action said that the injunction as written applied to one clerk and that the district court lacked jurisdiction to modify it since the case had been appealed. [22] On January 1, 2015, Judge Hinkle explained the scope of his injunction, writing that the Constitution rather than his order authorizes all Florida clerks to issue licenses to same-sex couples and that while clerks are free to interpret his ruling differently they should anticipate lawsuits if they fail to issue such licenses. [23]

In response, the law firm advising the Florida Association of Court Clerks reversed its earlier position and recommended that all clerks issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. [24] Between the time of Judge Hinkle's decision and its implementation, clerks in thirteen counties–Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Duval, Franklin, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Okaloosa, Pasco, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, and Washington–announced they would issue such licenses but no longer provide courthouse wedding services to avoid having to officiate at the wedding of a same-sex couple. [25]

Hinkle's stay expired on January 6, 2015, and same-sex marriage became legal throughout Florida. [26]

Court of Appeals proceedings

With Scott removed as a defendant, Dr. John H. Armstrong, the state's Surgeon General and Secretary of Health became the lead defendant and the case Brenner v. Armstrong. He and the remaining defendants appealed to the Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. [27] All briefings were completed in December 2014 [28] when the state declined its right to reply to the plaintiffs. [29] On February 4, 2015, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals put its same-sex marriage cases on hold until the Supreme Court rules in pending cases. [30]

The state of Florida has dropped their appeal in the Brenner v. Armstrong case with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Despite same-sex marriage being legal in Florida, as of February 2016 the case is still awaiting a final injunction order in the Northern District Court from Judge Hinkle. [31]

Judge Hinkle issued his final order in the case on March 30, 2016. [32] Hinkle's summary judgment affirmed the unconstitutionality of Florida's now defunct ban on same-sex marriage and explicitly ordered the state government to ensure equal treatment of same-sex couples in all areas of Florida law. [33]

U.S. Supreme Court

On October 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari without recorded dissent in all the cases it had been asked to consider from appellate courts in the Fourth, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits, allowing the circuit court decisions striking down marriage bans to stand. The cases were: Bogan v. Baskin (Indiana); Walker v. Wolf (Wisconsin); Herbert v. Kitchen (Utah); McQuigg v. Bostic (Virginia); Rainey v. Bostic (Virginia); Schaefer v. Bostic (Virginia); and Smith v. Bishop (Oklahoma). [34] This effectively started the clock ticking on Judge Hinkle's decision in the Northern District of Florida, 91 days from this date his stay would lift unless the state of Florida was able to get the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court to extend the stay. On November 13, commenting in an unrelated case on behalf of himself and Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the Supreme Court "often review[s] decisions striking down state laws, even in the absence of a disagreement among lower courts.... But for reasons that escape me, we have not done so with any consistency, especially in recent months". He referenced denials of certiorari or denials of a stay in Herbert, Bishop, Bostic, Walker v. Wolf, Otter v. Latta, and Parnell v. Hamby. [35]

The Supreme Court rejected a petition for certiorari before judgment in Robicheaux v. George (Louisiana) on January 12, 2015, [36] and on January 16 agreed to hear the appeal in the four cases from the Sixth Circuit, consolidating them as one case titled Obergefell v. Hodges . It presented these questions to the parties: [37]

  1. Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?
  2. Does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?

The court heard oral arguments on April 28. [38] On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court answered both questions in the affirmative. [39] [40]

Bourke v. Beshear and Love v. Beshear (Kentucky)
Filed on July 26, 2013; the U.S. district court found the state's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions an unconstitutional violation of the equal protection clause. Additional plaintiffs joined the lawsuit to challenge the state's denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On July 1, 2014, U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II ruled that Kentucky's denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples violates the equal protection clause. He found that homosexual persons constitute a suspect class deserving heightened scrutiny and suggested the Sixth Circuit should adopt that standard of review. He found Kentucky's ban did not withstand even rational basis review. [41] The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court and upheld Kentucky's ban on same sex marriage on November 6. [42] The couples filed an application for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on November 17, [43] which Governor Beshear supported on December 9. [44]
DeBoer v. Snyder (Michigan)
Filed on January 23, 2012; the U.S. district court found that the state's ban violates the equal protection clause, 973 F. Supp. 2d 757 (E.D. Mich.) on March 21, 2014. The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court and upheld Michigan's ban on same sex marriage on November 6 [42] and the same-sex couples filed an application for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on November 17, [45] which Attorney General Bill Schuette supported on November 24, [46]
Obergefell v. Hodges (Ohio)
In a case filed on July 19, 2013, the U.S. district court found that the state ban on same-sex marriage violates the due process clause, for the limited purpose of issuing death certificates. In a second case, on February 10, 2014, four same-sex couples legally married in other states asked a U.S. district court to require Ohio to record the names of both same-sex parents on their children's birth certificates. They amended their suit to challenge the state's denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples. On April 14, 2014, District Court Judge Timothy Black found for the plaintiffs. On May 29, 2014, the Sixth Circuit consolidated Obergefell and Henry. The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court and upheld Ohio's ban on same sex marriage on November 6, [42] and the same-sex couples filed an application for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on November 14, [47] which Ohio state officials endorsed on December 12. [48]
Tanco v. Haslam (Tennessee)
Filed on October 21, 2013; the U.S. district court on March 14, 2014, required Tennessee to recognize the three plaintiff same-sex couples' out-of-state marriages until the court disposes of the case. The Sixth Circuit stayed that ruling. [49] The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court and upheld Tennessee's ban on same sex marriage on November 6. [42] The same-sex couples filed an application for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on November 14, [50] which Tennessee officials opposed on December 15. [51]

See also

Related Research Articles

Same-sex marriage in Florida has been legal since January 6, 2015, as a result of a ruling in Brenner v. Scott from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. The court ruled the state's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional on August 21, 2014. The order was stayed temporarily. State attempts at extending the stay failed, with the U.S. Supreme Court denying further extension on December 19, 2014. In addition, a state court ruling in Pareto v. Ruvin allowed same-sex couples to obtain marriage licenses in Miami-Dade County on the afternoon of January 5, 2015. In another state case challenging the state's denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples, a Monroe County court in Huntsman v. Heavilin stayed enforcement of its decision pending appeal and the stay expired on January 6, 2015.

Same-sex marriage in Colorado has been legally recognized since October 7, 2014. Colorado's state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was struck down in state district court on July 9, 2014, and by the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on July 23, 2014. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals had already made similar rulings with respect to such bans in Utah on June 25 and Oklahoma on July 18, which are binding precedents on courts in Colorado. On October 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the Tenth Circuit cases, and the Tenth Circuit lifted its stay. On October 7, 2014, the Colorado Supreme Court and the Tenth Circuit cleared the way for same-sex marriages to begin in Colorado.

Robert Lewis Hinkle is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Same-sex marriage in South Carolina has been legal since a federal court order took effect on November 20, 2014. Another court ruling on November 18 had ordered the state to recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions. Following the 2014 ruling of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Bostic v. Schaefer, which found Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional and set precedent on every state in the circuit, one judge accepted marriage license applications from same-sex couples until the South Carolina Supreme Court, in response to a request by the Attorney General, ordered him to stop. A federal district court ruled South Carolina's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional on November 12, with implementation of that decision stayed until noon on November 20. The first same-sex wedding ceremony was held on November 19.

Same-sex marriage in Alabama has been legal since June 26, 2015, in accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Not all counties immediately complied with the ruling, copying behavior from the civil rights era when they had refused to perform interracial marriages. A year after the Supreme Court ruling, only twelve counties would either issue licenses to no one or only to opposite-sex couples. By 2017, this number had dropped to only eight counties, with all eight refusing to issue licenses to anyone. In May 2019, the Alabama Legislature passed a bill replacing the option that counties issue marriage licenses and perform marriage ceremonies with the requirement of counties to record marriage certificates. Subsequently, all counties complied and announced on August 29, 2019 that they would record marriage certificates for interracial and same-sex couples. Previously, Alabama had banned the licensing of same-sex marriages and the recognition of such marriages from other jurisdictions by executive order in 1996, by statute in 1998, and by constitutional amendment in June 2006.

<i>Sevcik v. Sandoval</i>

Sevcik v. Sandoval is the lead case that successfully challenged Nevada's denial of same-sex marriage as mandated by that state's constitution and statutory law. The plaintiffs' complaint was initially filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada on April 10, 2012, on behalf of several couples denied marriage licenses. These couples challenged the denial on the basis of the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection.

Same-sex marriage in Nebraska has been legally recognized since June 26, 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges that the denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples violates the Fourteenth Amendment. Following the court ruling, the Attorney General, Doug Peterson, announced that the state of Nebraska would comply and recognize same-sex marriages.

Same-sex marriage in Kansas became legal following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015, which found the denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples unconstitutional. By June 30, all 31 judicial districts and all 105 Kansas counties were issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples or had agreed to do so. Kansas state agencies initially delayed recognition of same-sex marriages for purposes including but not limited to changing names, ascribing health benefits and filing joint tax returns, but began doing so on July 6.

<i>Kitchen v. Herbert</i> American legal case

Kitchen v. Herbert, 961 F.Supp.2d 1181, affirmed, 755 F.3d 1193 ; stay granted, 134 S.Ct. 893 (2014); petition for certiorari denied, No. 14-124, 2014 WL 3841263, is the federal case that successfully challenged Utah's constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples and similar statutes. Three same-sex couples filed suit in March 2013, naming as defendants Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert, Attorney General John Swallow, and Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen in their official capacities.

Same-sex marriage in Kentucky has been legal since the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015. The decision, which struck down Kentucky's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriages, was handed down on June 26, 2015, and Governor Steve Beshear and Attorney General Jack Conway announced almost immediately that the court's order would be implemented.

Tanco v. Haslam was the lead case in the dispute of same-sex marriage in Tennessee. A U.S. District Court granted a preliminary injunction requiring the state to recognize the marriages of the plaintiffs, three same-sex couples. The court found the equal protection analysis used in Bourke v. Beshear, a case dealing with a comparable Kentucky statute "especially persuasive." On April 25, 2014, that injunction was stayed by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Tanco was appealed to the Sixth Circuit, which reversed the district court and upheld Tennessee's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions on November 6.

Same-sex marriage in Mississippi has been legal since June 26, 2015. On November 25, 2014, U.S. District Court Judge Carlton W. Reeves of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi ruled that Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Enforcement of his ruling was stayed pending appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that the denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples is unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution. On June 29, Attorney General Jim Hood ordered clerks to comply with the court ruling and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Fifth Circuit lifted its stay on July 1, and Judge Reeves ordered an end to Mississippi's enforcement of its same-sex marriage ban. However, until July 2, 2015, several counties in Mississippi continued to refuse to issue marriage licenses, including DeSoto, Jasper, Jones, Newton, Pontotoc, Simpson and Yalobusha.

Same-sex marriage in Missouri has been legal since the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which struck down state bans on marriages between two people of the same sex on June 26, 2015. Prior to the court ruling, the state recognized same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions pursuant to a state court ruling in October 2014, and certain jurisdictions of the state performed same-sex marriage despite a statewide ban.

<i>Whitewood v. Wolf</i>

Whitewood v. Wolf is the federal lawsuit that successfully challenged the Pennsylvania Marriage Laws, as amended in 1996 to ban same-sex marriage. The district court's decision in May 2014 held that the Marriage Laws violated the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution. Same-sex couples immediately sought and received marriage licenses and the decision was not appealed. One county clerk sought repeatedly without success to intervene to defend the law.

<i>De Leon v. Perry</i>

De Leon v. Perry was a federal lawsuit challenging Texas marriage law, specifically the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and corresponding statutes. A U.S. district court ruled in favor of the plaintiff same-sex couples on February 26, 2014, granting their motion for a preliminary injunction. The state defendants filed an interlocutory appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, as the disposition on the motion was not a final ruling in the case. On April 14, 2014, the plaintiffs filed a motion for an expedited hearing, which was denied on May 21, 2014. The plaintiffs filed another motion for an expedited hearing on October 6, 2014, after the Supreme Court of the United States denied appeals in other marriage equality cases, and the motion was granted on October 7, 2014, setting a hearing for November 2014. However, on October 27, 2014, the Fifth Circuit set oral arguments for January 9, 2015.

<i>Latta v. Otter</i>

Latta v. Otter is a case initiated in 2013 in U.S. federal court by plaintiffs seeking to prevent the state of Idaho from enforcing its ban on same-sex marriage. The plaintiffs won in U.S. District Court. The case was appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard this together with two related cases–Jackson v. Abercrombie, and Sevcik v. Sandoval.

<i>Baskin v. Bogan</i>

Baskin v. Bogan, the lead Indiana case challenging that state's denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples, was filed in federal district court on March 12, 2014, naming several government officials as defendants. Chief Judge Richard L. Young found for the plaintiffs on June 25. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld the district court ruling in a unanimous decision on September 4.

<i>Wolf v. Walker</i>

Wolf v. Walker is a federal lawsuit filed in February 2014 that challenged Wisconsin's refusal to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, its refusal to recognize same-sex marriages established in other jurisdictions, and related statutes. In June 2014, Judge Barbara Crabb of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruled for the plaintiffs. And in the week before she stayed her decision county clerks in 60 of the state's 72 counties issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples and some performed marriage ceremonies for them. The state appealed her decision to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which affirmed her opinion in a unanimous decision on September 4. The state requested a writ of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court, which was denied on October 6. Same-sex marriages resumed after the Seventh Circuit issued its mandate the next day.

<i>Burns v. Hickenlooper</i>

Burns v. Hickenlooper is a lawsuit filed on July 1, 2014, in federal district court in Colorado, challenging that state's denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples. The plaintiffs' complaint alleged that the defendants have violated the Fourteenth Amendment by denying plaintiffs the fundamental right of marriage. The defendants agreed with the substance of the plaintiffs' case, but asked the district court to stay implementation of any order requiring Colorado to alter enforcement of its ban pending the outcome of other litigation. After the district court declined to grant more than a one-month stay on July 23, the state's governor and attorney general appealed and won a stay from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals on August 21. Following U.S. Supreme Court action in other cases, on October 8 they asked the Tenth Circuit to dismiss their appeal and lift the stay, which would effectively legalize same-sex marriage in Colorado.

In the United States, the history of same-sex marriage dates from the early 1940s, when the first lawsuits seeking legal recognition of same-sex relationships brought the question of civil marriage rights and benefits for same-sex couples to public attention though they proved unsuccessful. However marriage wasn't a request for the LGBTQ movement until the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Washington (1987). The subject became increasingly prominent in U.S. politics following the 1993 Hawaii Supreme Court decision in Baehr v. Miike that suggested the possibility that the state's prohibition might be unconstitutional. That decision was met by actions at both the federal and state level to restrict marriage to male-female couples, notably the enactment at the federal level of the Defense of Marriage Act.

References

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  2. ↑ "Couple files federal lawsuit challenging Florida's ban on same-sex marriage". LGBTQ Nation. March 6, 2014.
  3. ↑ Pantazi, Andrew (December 3, 2014). "Gay marriage could be real for many by Jan. 6, barring Supreme Court action". The Florida Times-Union . Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  4. ↑ "SAVE & ACLU file marriage recognition lawsuit". Safeguarding American Values for Everyone. March 13, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  5. ↑ Rothaus, Steven (March 13, 2014). "Eight gay couples sue Florida to recognize their legal marriages". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  6. ↑ Sweeney, Dan (August 21, 2014). "Same-sex marriage ban struck down in Florida federal court". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ Snow, Justin (August 21, 2014). "Federal judge rules Florida same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional". Metro Weekly. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Robert L. Hinkle, U.S. District Judge (21 August 2014). "Order Denying the Motion to Dismiss, Granting a Preliminary Injunction, and Temporarily Staying the Injunction, Brenner v. Scott, No. 4:14-cv-107, and Grimsley v. Scott, No. 4:14-cv-138". U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida . Scribd.com. PACER Document 74.
  9. ↑ Stutzman, Rene (August 21, 2014). "Tallahassee federal judge throws out Florida's ban on same-sex marriage". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Brenner v. Scott: Plaintiff's Motion to Dissolve Stay". United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. October 7, 2014.
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  13. ↑ "Order - Motion to stay pending appeal denied". Scribd.com. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
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  22. ↑ "Amicus Florida Family Action's Memorandum of Law". Scribd.com. U.S. District Court for Northern Florida. December 29, 2014.
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  26. ↑ Smiley, Dave (January 6, 2015). "South Florida gay couples marry in twilight ceremonies". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
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  32. ↑ "Federal Judge Issues Final Order Confirming FL's Marriage Ban Is Unconstitutional". Equality Florida. 31 March 2016.
  33. ↑ Kirsten M. Clark (31 March 2016). "After Florida officials' defiance, federal judge affirms gay marriage ban is unconstitutional". Tampa Bay Times.
  34. ↑ "US Supreme Court declines to intervene in gay marriage cases". cnbc.com. October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  35. ↑ "On Application for Stay: Maricopa County v. Lopez-Valenzuela" (PDF). U.S. Supreme Court. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  36. ↑ Denniston, Lyle (January 12, 2015). "Same-sex marriage cases ready, scheduled". SCOTUSblog. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  37. ↑ Geidner, Chris (January 16, 2015). "Supreme Court Will Hear Four Cases Challenging Same-Sex Marriage Bans". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  38. ↑ Liptak, Adam (April 28, 2015). "Gay Marriage Arguments Divide Supreme Court Justices". The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  39. ↑ Liptak, Adam (June 26, 2015). "Same-Sex Marriage Is a Right, Supreme Court Rules, 5-4". The New York Times . Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  40. ↑ Staff (June 26, 2015). "Obergefell, et al. v. Hodges, Directory, Ohio Department of Health, et al" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States . Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  41. ↑ John E. Heyburn II, U.S. District Judge; U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky (July 1, 2014). "Memorandum Opinion and Order, Love v. Beshear, No. 3:13-CV-750-H" (PDF). LBGTQ Nation.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2014.
  42. 1 2 3 4 Geidner, Chris (November 6, 2014). "Federal Appeals Court Upholds Four States' Same-Sex Marriage Bans". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Kentucky Plaintiffs' Cert Petition". Scribd.com. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  44. ↑ "Respondent's Brief in Support of Petition for Certiorari". Scribd.com. U.S. Supreme Court. December 9, 2014.
  45. ↑ "Michigan Plaintiffs' Cert Petition". Scribd.com. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  46. ↑ "Respondent's Brief in Support of Petition for Writ of Certiorari". Scribd.com. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  47. ↑ Snow, Justin (November 14, 2014). "Same-sex marriage back before the Supreme Court". Metro Weekly. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  48. ↑ Johnson, Chris (December 12, 2014). "Ohio agrees Supreme Court should consider same-sex marriage case". Washington Blade. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  49. ↑ "Order (granting stay, assignment to merits panel)" (PDF). Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Tanco v. Haslam, Plaintiffs' Petition for Writ of Certiorari". Scribd.com. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  51. ↑ "State's Opposition to granting cert". Scribd.com. Supreme Court of the United States. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
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