Puerto Rico Gov: Ignore That Crazy Anti-Gay Judge

Via press release from Lambda Legal:

Today, Governor Alejandro García Padilla [photo] announced that the decision issued yesterday by the District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, holding that the historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges striking down discriminatory marriage bans nationwide did not apply to Puerto Rico because it is not a state, would not affect the ability of LGBT people in Puerto Rico to marry. Lambda Legal applauds the Governor’s announcement.

“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,” said Omar González-Pagan, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal. “The decision issued yesterday by District Court Judge Pérez Giménez is fundamentally flawed and we plan to file an appeal to ensure that this discriminatory ban does not stand. The law is on our side. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit was clear when it stated that Puerto Rico’s marriage ban was unconstitutional and the U.S. Supreme Court has indisputably held that the constitutional guarantees of liberty and equality apply with equal force to the Commonwealth.”

In his statement, Governor Alejandro García Padilla expressed that the fundamental right to marriage was validated and ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and that he would respect those higher court rulings which are contrary to the decision of Judge Pérez Giménez.