Prop 8 Battle Continues
August 19, 2009
Judge Vaughn R. Walker denied intervention in the case by the LGBT community groups represented by Lambda Legal, the ACLU and NCLR. Lambda Legal anticipates continuing to support the case as an amicus.
August 7, 2009
The plaintiffs' legal team led by attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies filed an opposition to the proposed intervention of LGBT community groups represented by Lambda Legal, the ACLU and NCLR. The plaintiffs' attorneys also opposed the city of San Francisco's proposed intervention.
"Denial of marriage inflicts harms that vary by age, socio-economic class, the presence of minor children and the many other ways the gay community is diverse, often stigmatized and uniquely vulnerable."
7/8/2009
Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are seeking to represent LGBT community groups in the federal case against Prop 8 — the antigay ballot measure that denied gays and lesbians the fundamental right to marry in the state.
Perry v. Schwarzenegger was filed by attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies in May on behalf of two same-sex couples, asking for a preliminary order blocking Prop 8. Lambda Legal, NCLR and ACLU filed a friend-of-the-court brief for the preliminary hearing in the case, and recently filed a motion to intervene — a request already granted by the Court to the proponents of the antigay measure.
Judge Vaughn R. Walker has called for efficient, comprehensive preparation of the case and trial to resolve a number of "factual disputes" relevant to the arguments presented by the existing parties in the case, including whether Prop 8 was passed with discriminatory intent and whether allowing gays and lesbians to marry undermines the stability of heterosexual marriages. "These groups wish to illustrate for the court the diverse needs of their members and the gay community generally to provide the full factual record Judge Walker said will help the appellate courts as they decide whether gay people in California have the same basic rights as the Golden State's heterosexual population," says Lambda Legal National Marriage Project Director Jennifer C. Pizer.
Chad Griffin, Board President of The American Foundation for Equal Rights, the group backing the Olson-Boies legal team, welcomed our friend-of-the-court brief, declaring that Lambda Legal and our sister LGBT legal groups "have brought inspiring leadership and legal expertise to the cause of ensuring all Americans are treated equally under the law."
The case is Perry v. Schwarzenegger.
