Bill McCollum Will Not Appeal Judges Overturning Gay Adoption Ban

Its been a busy Friday afternoon for Attorney General Bill McCollum. Besides endorsing Rick Scott for governor, two months after Scott beat him in the Republican primary, McCollum announced he would not appeal a panel of judges in Miami who struck down the states ban on same-sex couples adopting.

"The constitutionality of the Florida law banning adoption by homosexuals is a divisive matter of great public interest, said McCollum, who won the backing of many social conservatives during his gubernatorial campaign despite backing socially liberal candidate Rudy Giuliani for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. As such, the final determination should rest with the Florida Supreme Court, not a lower appellate court.But after reviewing the merits of independently seeking Supreme Court review, following the decision of our client, the Department of Children and Families, not to appeal the decision of the Third District Court of Appeal, it is clear that this is not the right case to take to the Supreme Court for its determination. No doubt someday a more suitable case will give the Supreme Court the opportunity to uphold the constitutionality of this law."