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"I’m going to respect the rulings of the higher courts which, thankfully, ordered matters to proceed much differently than Judge Perez Giménez."
Shortly after a federal judge ruled against marriage equality in Puerto Rico, Governor and silver fox Alejandro García Padilla has sided with the U.S. Supreme Court:
"The fundamental right to marriage has been ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit of Boston. Thus, I’m going to respect the rulings of the higher courts which, thankfully, ordered matters to proceed much differently than Judge Pérez-Giménez."
U.S. District Court Judge Juan Pérez-Giménez ruled Tuesday that Puerto Rico’s marriage ban was valid, as the commonwealth is an unincorporated territory and not “the functional equivalent of a state."
Related | Federal Judge: No Marriage Equality in Puerto Rico
Lambda Legal, however, is throwing some legal side-eye at Pérez-Giménez, calling his ruling "fundamentally flawed" with plans to file an appeal.
"The marriages of same-sex couples in Puerto Rico are not in limbo and we appreciate that Governor García Padilla has reassured LGBT people and made clear to all others in the Island that marriage is here to stay," Lambda Legal staff attorney Omar González-Pagan said in a statement. "The U.S. Supreme Court has indisputably held that the constitutional guarantees of liberty and equality apply with equal force to the Commonwealth."
[h/t] Gay Star News
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