Conservative groups: Broward's Cohen an 'outlaw judge' for overturning Florida's gay marriage ban

On Monday, Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen declared Florida's gay-marriage ban unconstitutional, calling it a a violation of same-sex couples’ due process and equal protection.

Here are responses from conservative Florida groups Christian Family Coalition and Florida Democratic League:

From Anthony Verdugo of Christian Family Coalition:

Another outlaw judge overthrows Florida's constitutional respect for marriage!

Racist ruling will not stand!

MIAMI - In yet another another example of lawlessness in South Florida over the last 18 days, today, Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen, overthrew Florida's voter-approved constitutional respect for marriage as the union of one man, one woman.

Judge Cohen's corrupt decision is a judicial lynching of 8 million voters who cast their ballots in 2008 and fully expected to have their votes respected, among them, 64% of Hispanic voters and 71% of African-American voters.

He also violated the constitutional rights to due process and equal protection of ALL voters as well as offended "basic human decency" in "finding" a "constitutional right to homosexual so-called 'marriage', which does not even exist!".

Cohen's corrupt decision to overthrow Florida's voter-approved Constitutional respect for marriage as the union of one man, one woman, is in open contempt to legally binding precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. vs. Windsor. It denies the voter rights of nearly 8 million Florida voters, violates his Oath of Office, and violates. Cohen has forfeited his legacy and his right to remain on the bench.

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From Eladio Jose Armesto, chairman of Florida Democratic League:

Another Outlaw Judge Violates the Constitution,
Denies Floridians Fundamental Voter Rights!
<<< History will judge them harshly! >>>

MIAMI, FL – In yet another incident of judicial corruption and lawlessness in South Florida over the last 18 days, today, Broward County Circuit Judge Dale Cohen overthrew Florida’s voter-approved Constitution and denied Floridians their fundamental voter rights.

Judge Cohen’s corrupt and illegal decision attacking Florida’s respect for the institution of Marriage as the union of one man, one woman, is a clear violation of constitutional separation of powers and a judicial lynching of the nearly 8 million voters who cast their ballots in 2008 and fully expected to have their votes respected.

Cohen also violated the constitutional due process and equal protection rights of ALL voters as well as undermined the Rule of Law in “finding” a so-called “constitutional right to homosexual so-called ‘marriage’, which does not even exist!”

“Millions of Americans died fighting in battlefields around the world to defend the constitutional rights Judge Cohen has denied Floridians todays. He has violated his Oath of Office and the Code Judicial Conduct. This is a racist ruling that destroys public confidence in the judiciary and inflicts irreparable harm to respect for the Rule of Law,” adds Sara Espinoza, president of the Florida Democratic League, the state’s largest Hispanic-led Democratic voters’ organization.

Cohen’s lawless decision to overthrow Florida’s Constitution, violate constitutional separation of powers, and deny fundamental voter rights is in brazen contempt to the legally binding precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. vs. Windsor. In so doing, Mr. Cohen has also offended “basic human decency,” violated his Oath of Office, the Code of Judicial Conduct, and the Florida Bar Canons of Ethics. Cohen has forfeited his legacy and his right to remain on the bench.

WHY IS COHEN’S DECISION DISCRIMINATORY, UNJUST AND UNLAWFUL?

<> Cohen’s decision is discriminatory, unjust, and unlawful because it disenfranchises the nearly 8 million Florida citizens who exercised their constitutional right to vote in the historic 2008 elections, in which the institution of Marriage as the union of one man and one woman was overwhelming approved by 62 percent of Florida voters.

<> Cohen’s decision is discriminatory, unjust, and unlawful because it is in criminal contempt of the legally binding U.S. Supreme Court precedent in U.S. vs. Windsor as well as the constitutional provision establishing separation of powers.

<> Cohen’s decision is discriminatory, unjust, and unlawful because it trashes the votes of all the nearly 8 million citizens who voted on the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment in 2008. These citizens exercised their right to vote with the full expectation that their vote would be respected, not trashed six years later by a corrupt, incompetent judge.

<> Cohen’s decision is discriminatory, unjust, and unlawful because it is based on Cohen’s own personal ideological bias and racially-suspect prejudices. Cohen was elected to uphold the Constitution and respect Florida law, not arbitrarily and capriciously impose his biases and prejudices on the people whose rights he swore to protect.

<> Cohen’s decision is discriminatory, unjust, and unlawful because it corruptly denies all Florida voters the 14th Amendment due process and equal protection rights.

<> Cohen’s decision is discriminatory, unjust, and unlawful because it unlawfully places Plaintiffs’ above Florida’s Constitution and Laws. Every Floridian, regardless of their alleged sexual behavioral choices or preferences, must be subject to the same constitutional mandates, the same laws, and the same rules and regulations. Cohen’s decision unlawfully carves out an exemption for Plaintiffs.

<> Cohen’s decision is discriminatory, unjust, and unlawful because it unlawfully exempts Plaintiffs from compliance with the laws every other Floridian must obey to change public policy issues with which they don’t agree.

Regardless whether the public policy issue is the fiction of same-sex so-called “marriage” or any other issue, ruling to overturn a constitutionally-sanctioned election is a direct and irreversible violation of the voter rights and constitutional liberties of citizens of a free and democratic society. In America, no one is above the law; no individual is better than another, nor does any individual have a greater claim to rights than others. Cohen must resign from the bench, or be removed by Florida’s Judicial Qualifications Commission and be disbarred by the Florida Bar.

Comments

[DiAnne]

YAWWWN! All their reactions are sooooo old and tired. YAWWWN!

[Ron Mills]

btw the first link Says Dake Nelson not Cohen

[Steve Rothaus]

Thanks Ron. I fixed the typo.

[JJ]

The right to vote is not the right to vote for voting's sake, nor the right to impose one's will on others. It's the right to have a say in one's _own_ liberty and security. If marriage equality threatened these people's liberty or security in any way, their side would be able to demonstrate that fact to a court and put an end to marriage equality. But equality isn't a threat. On the contrary, it's a requirement of the 14th Amendment that cannot be nullified by any election—which is what Judge Cohen rightly concluded.

[Daviudd]

They seem to be upset and frustrated knowing that the law opposes their bigotry.

[rextrek]

what JJ and Daviudd said x1000!!!!

[Hdtex]

Call out the WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHMBULANCE!
Bigoted hispanics on the wrong side of history....