MIAMI – The battle over Florida's gay-marriage ban is still working its way through the courts and late Tuesday Attorney General Pam Bondi was in South Florida, making it clear she wants the state Supreme Court to decide and decide quickly.
Wanting and getting are two different things. Bondi made her fight against gay marriage a part of her re-election campaign, a fight that's taken a hit in court at the state and federal level, but one she told Local 10 News she's not giving up on.
Bondi is pressed for time nowadays. She had hands to shake and hugs to give to supporters at a campaign stop at Versailles restaurant in Miami. With that in mind, Bondi gave Local 10 the cold shoulder.
"We have a lot of guests in here, so we really need to get in there," said Bondi.
Time is running out for Bondi, but not in her re-election campaign. She's poised to win that race Tuesday. Instead, it's her fight against gay marriage in Florida that could be nearing its end.
"We're trying to expedite it as fast as we can," Bondi said.
That "it" was her desire to get the state Supreme Court to weigh in on Florida's gay-marriage ban, a move a state appeals court blocked Monday.
Bondi is running out of avenues to take. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision not to get involved in the matter put to rest the high court hearing Bondi's appeal after a federal judge in South Florida ruled the gay marriage ban unconstitutional.
With no federal way out and a state court ruling unlikely, Bondi said she isn't giving up the fight.
"I'm continuing my stance to get it to the Florida Supreme Court as soon as possible," said Bondi. "We're waving the appellate court in order to have finality and save taxpayers money."
Bondi met with supporters for a few hours. She's already asked a federal judge to stay his ruling until after an appeal is heard. Couple that with Monday's state court ruling and critics insist all Bondi is doing is buying more time in a losing fight.
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