By Elaine Silvestrini published in the Tampa Tribune on April 4, 2014

Tampa federal Judge Susan Bucklew was in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to perform a wedding.

The marriage of Mark Anderson and Keith Bucklew isn’t recognized by the state of Florida. 

But the District of Columbia does allow same-sex weddings.

So U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, hosted the ceremony in her congressional office. 

“We were happy and honored to welcome Mark and Keith to my office in Washington for their special occasion,” Castor said in a news release. “When same-sex couples wed in states (or the district) where their marriage is legally recognized – even if they reside in a nonrecognition state – they qualify for the same federal benefits that all married couples have enjoyed.

“Hopefully, Florida law and the state constitution will soon recognize marriage equality. Last year’s court ruling on DOMA was an important step, but a patchwork of laws exists on the state level.” 

The U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act, setting off a slew of litigation challenging same-sex marriage bans across the country, including Florida’s.

The issue of the state’s ban on same-sex marriage has been heard before in Tampa federal court, where another federal judge, James Moody, ruled in 2005 that the state did not have to recognize the Massachusetts wedding of a Bradenton lesbian couple. His ruling, which was not appealed at the time, upheld a section of the Defense of Marriage Act. 

This year, the American Civil Liberties Union and a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights organization have filed lawsuits in Miami federal court seeking to overturn the state’s same-sex marriage prohibition.

The grooms married Thursday have been partners for more than seven years and live in Tampa. Anderson is a retired engineer and now serves on various boards, including Equality Florida. Bucklew owns an architectural and interior design business. 

A former Hillsborough County and Circuit Court judge, Judge Bucklew was appointed to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton in 1993. In 2008, she reached the status of senior federal judge, which is granted after 15 years experience on the federal bench and age 65.