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Lambda Legal Statement in Response to California Supreme Court???s Decision to Review In Re Marriage Cases
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"The Supreme Court unanimously has agreed to hear our arguments, and we???re hopeful they???ll decide that same-sex couples have the same rights ??? including the right to marry ??? that different-sex couples enjoy.???
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(Los Angeles, December 20, 2006) — Lambda Legal issued the following statement in response to the California Supreme Court’s decision today to grant review of the lower court decision in In Re. Marriage Cases:
Jon W. Davidson, Legal Director at Lambda Legal and one of the attorneys on the case said:
“So far in California, two judges have held that California’s Constitution protects same-sex couples and requires that they be free to marry and two have ruled that it doesn’t. The Supreme Court unanimously has agreed to hear our arguments, and we’re hopeful they’ll decide that same-sex couples have the same rights — including the right to marry — that different-sex couples enjoy.
The people who represent Californians in the state Legislature have already passed a bill that would remove all doubt that same-sex couples are free to marry in the Golden State, but Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed it. So long as California’s statues deny same-sex couples and their children equality, it’s up to the California Supreme Court to decide the issue once and for all.”
In October, the New Jersey Supreme Court held that same-sex couples have the right to all the legal rights and obligations that different-sex couples enjoy through marriage. The New Jersey Legislature passed a civil union bill last Thursday, December 14, 2006, and Governor Jon S. Corzine is expected to sign that bill into law tomorrow.
The plaintiffs in In Re Marriage Cases are 11 same-sex couples, Equality California, and Our Family Coalition, who are represented by Lambda Legal along with lead counsel National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the ACLU, Heller Ehrman LLP, and the Law Office of David C. Codell.
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Mark Roy 212-809-8585 ext.267
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
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