Two Challenges To Florida's Gay Marriage Ban Seek To Merge

Two successful challenges to Florida's gay marriage ban seek to merge as the state appeals.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has appealed the cases.

One involves two men, Aaron Huntsman and William “Lee” Jones, who challenged the ban in a Monroe County courthouse. Monroe County Circuit Judge Luis Garcia struck down the ban but Bondi's notice of appeal put the ruling on hold.

In the second case, six gay and lesbian couples in Miami-Dade successfully challenged the ban. A Bondi filing also put Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Sarah Zabel's ruling on hold.

Now plaintiffs are hoping to combine the cases as they move forward.

Vanessa Alenier, a plaintiff in the Miami-Dade case, told alternative weekly the New Times Broward-Palm Beach that if approved the merger “will just make us stronger.”

Plaintiffs have asked the Florida Supreme Court to review their challenge.