Tag: same-sex marriage

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SCOTUS: 300 Prominent Republicans Sign Amicus Brief In Support Of Same-Sex Marriage

A “friend of the court” brief in support of marriage equality has been signed and filed at the U.S. Supreme Court by more than 300 high profile Republican lawmakers, operatives and consultants.

From Time:

The amicus brief, organized by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, was filed for the four same-sex marriage cases the Court will hear on April 28 that could legalize the unions nationwide. In 2013, Mehlman marshaled a similar effort for the case that overturned California’s Proposition 8, which had banned same-sex marriage in the state.

Among the signatories are 23 current and former Republicans members of the House of Representatives and Senate and seven current and former Governors. Sens. Susan Collins and Mark Kirk have signed onto the brief, as has Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. Other notables include former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal and billionaire GOP mega-donor David Koch.

SCOTUS has scheduled oral arguments in the cases regarding same-sex marriage from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals for April 28th.

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Handy Dandy Field Guide For Spotting Homophobic Laws

Our intrepid Matt Baume brings us this handy-dandy Field Guide for spotting and stopping the sneaky new homophobic laws cloaking themselves from coast to coast.

They’re stealthily stealing civil rights from everyone — gay and straight. Don’t wake up to discover all of your civil rights have been gobbled up in the night!

Part 2 continues with ways to stand up to the menacing monsters.

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Nebraska: 8th Circuit Court Of Appeals Issues Stay On Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

On March 2nd U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon ruled against Nebraska’s ban on same-sex marriage. With a one week stay in place, same-sex marriage was scheduled to begin in Nebraska Monday barring 8th Circuit action.

And now, the 8th Circuit Court steps in. From the ruling:

“Appellants’ Emergency Motion for Stay Pending Appeal has been considered by the court, and the motion is granted. The District Court’s Injunction Order of March 2, 2015 will be stayed pending the disposition of this appeal.

“It is further ordered that this case be set for oral argument in Omaha, Nebraska on May 12, 2015, together with the three other same-sex marriage cases now pending before the court.”

Those other three cases scheduled for May 12th are Missouri, Arkansas, and South Dakota.

Marriages had been due to commence in Nebraska on Monday morning.

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SCOTUS: Hundreds Of Major Corporations Sign Brief In Support Of Same-Sex Marriage

Bloomberg Business reports that almost 400 major corporations have signed on to a “friend of the court” brief in support of same-sex marriage urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down anti-gay marriage laws.

In a friend-of-the-court brief expected to be filed on Thursday, hundreds of banks and other corporations argue that states that still prohibit gay unions “hamper employer efforts to recruit and retain the most talented workforce possible in those states.”

Major companies and financial institutions previously have backed the campaign to recognize same-sex unions, so the brief isn’t a surprise. What’s impressive is that as of Wednesday night, 379 corporations and employer organizations had signed on to the amicus brief, representing industries from technology to financial services, transportation to consumer products, retail to restaurants to sports.

Among those that signed on: Aetna, Alcoa, Amazon.com, American Airlines, American Express, Apple, AT&T, Bank of America, Barclays, BlackRock, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Capital One, Cardinal Health, Chubb, Cigna, Cisco, Citigroup, Colgate-Palmolive, ConAgra, Corning, Credit Suisse Securities, CVS Health, Delta Air Lines, Deutsche Bank, Dow Chemical, EBay, Facebook, General Electric, General Mills, GlaxoSmithKline, Goldman Sachs, Google, Hartford Financial Services, Hilton, HSBC, Intuit, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, Kimberly-Clark, KPMG, Levi Strauss, Marriott, Marsh & McLennan, Massachusetts Mutual, McKinsey, Microsoft, MillerCoors, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Mutual, the New England Patriots, New York Life, Nike, Northrop Grumman, Office Depot, Oracle, Orbitz, Pandora, PepsiCo, Pfizer, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Procter & Gamble, Prudential, Qualcomm, RBC Capital Markets, the San Francisco Giants, Staples, Symantec, the Tampa Bay Rays, Target, TD Bank, Twitter, UBS, United Airlines, Verizon, Walt Disney, Wells Fargo, and Zynga.

It was announced today that SCOTUS will hear the arguments for same-sex marriage cases from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on April 28th.

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Conservative Billionaire David Koch Joins Amicus Brief In Favor Of Marriage Equality

David Koch

David Koch, billionaire donor to Republican/conservative campaigns, has announced he will join an amicus brief in support of marriage equality at the U.S. Supreme Court:

The brief he will reportedly sign in DeBoer v. Snyder, a case that could afford same-sex couples a constitutional right to marry, will host a number of other prominent conservative signatories, including retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, former Reagan White House chief of staff Ken Duberstein and former Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman. News of the brief was first reported Tuesday by The Washington Post.

An attorney for Koch Industries told the Free Beacon that Koch will join the brief in a personal capacity, indicating his support for gay marriage does not necessarily indicate a larger message from the Koch network of donors.

In 2012, Koch, the Libertarian Party’s 1980 vice presidential candidate, told POLITICO that he supported gay marriage, despite backing Mitt Romney and a host of other conservative candidates who favored varieties of same-sex marriage bans.

The brief will argue that providing marriage licenses to same-sex couples ultimately strengthens the institution of marriage and that the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution should prohibit state bans on same-sex marriage.

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George Takei Gives Alabama The (Wedding) Finger

Star Trek icon and social media darling George Takei took to his Facebook page today with husband Brad to send a message to Alabama and it’s currently “in flux” state of marriage:

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Post by George Takei.

I join George and thousands on Twitter today with my own#LuvUAlabama:

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Nebraska: Attorney General Asks 8th Circuit Court To Issue Stay On Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

As expected, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson has filed a request with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals for a stay on the ruling from U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon which struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Judge Bataillon issued his ruling on Monday saying the law is unconstitutional. Tuesday saw Peterson ask the 8th for a stay on that ruling.

Bataillon has placed a stay on the ruling which would expire on March 9th.

Peterson would like the issue put on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on marriage equality this summer.

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Brian Brown Praises Alabama State Supreme Court For Halting Same-Sex Marriage

Hate group leader Brian Brown

In a blog post for the National Organization for Marriage, president Brian Brown praised the Alabama State Supreme Court for halting same-sex marriage.

“We praise the justices of the Alabama Supreme Court who have ruled in overwhelming fashion that the laws of Alabama defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman must be followed by state officials.”

“A single federal judge does not have the authority to force a state to redefine marriage and it’s high time that out of control judges were put in their place. We call on other states to similarly order their state’s officials to enforce state marriage laws.”

In light of the Tuesday ruling from the state Supreme Court, the Mobile County Probate Court has decided they would not be issuing any marriage licenses — to same-sex couples or otherwise — while they review the state Supreme Court’s decision.