Puerto Rico Gay Marriage Ruling

In the string of national marriage equality backlash United States District Judge Juan Pérez Gímenez recently ruled that since Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States & not a state, that the historic Obergefell v. Hodges marriage equality decision by the U.S. Supreme Court does not apply to the Commonwealth. The National LGBTQ Task Force is describing this homophobic & anti-marriage equality ruling by a Puerto Rican-based U.S. federal judge as “bizarre & controversial” to say the least. Victoria Rodriguez-Roldan, Trans/Gender Non-Conforming Justice Director stated, "Judge Pérez Gímenez's bizarre & controversial ruling runs at variance with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which has been issuing marriage licenses since the historic Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling, alongside the other states & territories of the nation. It also flies in the face of the United States Constitution & the fact that Supreme Court rulings apply to the whole of the United States & territories. We look forward to Judge Pérez Gímenez’s ruling being almost certainly overturned by the U.S. First Circuit in Boston. Of course, this judicial attempt at defying the Supreme Court could have been avoided if the Commonwealth Legislature itself had acted on the multiple bills that had been brought before it that would amend Article 68 of the Civil Code — the same-gender marriage ban — to make it compatible with Obergefell by defining marriage in a gender neutral fashion.”
For More Info: thetaskforce.org
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