In 3 weeks, 3 Florida judges have ruled state marriage ban unconstitutional

Today, August 4, a judge in Broward County, FL state court struck down Florida’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples. More than 30 decisions have been issued in favor of the freedom to marry (with no rulings against) since June 2013. See all of the marriage wins in court here.

The ruling in today's case, Brassner v. Lade, from Broward County Circuit Judge Dale Cohen, is the third marriage ruling in three weeks, following a July 17 ruling in Monroe County's Huntsman v. Heavilin and July 25's ruling in Miami-Dade County's Pareto v. Ruvin. In all 3 cases, judges ruled that banning same-sex couples from marrying is unconstitutional. All three rulings are stayed, and the two previous rulings have been appealed by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

For now, today's decision only applies to Broward County. The next step for the Miami-Dade and Monroe County decisions is review by Florida's 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. Last week, the plaintiffs in both cases moved to consolidate their cases and filed a motion seeking review directly by the Florida Supreme Court.

Freedom to Marry applauds the legal team behind today's case, which was filed this year by lawyer Nancy Brodzki on behalf of a woman, Heather Brassner, seeking respect for her marriage for the purpose of dissolution.

For information on the nearly 80 marriage cases currently working their way through state and federal court in 32 different states and territories, visit our Marriage Litigation resource.