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MIAMI (AP) — A third judge in Florida has overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage in a single county but stayed his decision pending an appeal.
The ruling Monday by Broward County Circuit Judge Dale Cohen mirrors decisions made last month by judges in Monroe and Miami-Dade counties. All found that a 2008 voter-approved constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the state violates gay residents' right to equal protection under the law as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.
Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi has filed a notice of appeal in the Monroe and Miami-Dade cases. No marriage licenses will be issued for gay couples in any of the three counties, pending appeals.
The Broward County petition for a divorce was filed by a gay Florida woman who wants to dissolve a civil union she formed with a partner in Vermont.
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