Motions filed to consolidate gay marriage suits
- Motions filed to consolidate gay marriage suits
By Dan Sweeney, Sun Sentinel2:27 p.m. EDT, July 31, 2014
Two same-sex marriage lawsuits currently winding their way through the Third District Court of Appeals may soon be combined into one
Circuit court judges in both Miami-Dade and Monroe counties have struck down Florida's same-sex marriage ban, but both decisions were stayed pending appeals.
"Consoldiating the two cases makes all the sense in the world, not only because of the importance but because of the commonality," said Kendall Coffey, an adjunct professor at the University of Miami's School of Law.
- Kendall Coffey is an attorney in Miami and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern Region
- Lawyers for both sets of plaintiffs have filed motions seeking the consolidation and the defendant county clerks have not objected.
Both sets of plaintiffs are also asking the court of appeals to let the case move straight to the Florida Supreme Court because the issues addressed "are of great public importance.''
Such action is "occurs in truly extraordinary cases," Coffey said. He also said the appellate court could also accelerate the speed at which it heard the case.
dsweeney@sun-sentinel.com, 954-356-4605 or Twitter @Daniel_Sweeney
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