(SAN FRANCISCO) Sponsors of California's voter-approved gay marriage ban accused Attorney General Jerry Brown on Monday of advancing a far-fetched legal theory to justify overturning it.
In papers submitted to the state Supreme Court, lawyers for the Protect Marriage coalition argued that Brown had "invented an entirely new theory" by asking the justices to trump the electorate, which approved Proposition 8 to amend the state Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman.
"We will not mince words. The attorney general is inviting this court to declare a constitutional revolution," reads the brief co-written by Kenneth Starr, dean of Pepperdine University's law school and former independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton.
The competing positions come in a series of legal challenges to Proposition 8 brought after the ballot initiative passed with 52 percent of the vote on Nov. 4. Brown initially said he would defend the measure in his role as attorney general.
But in a dramatic reversal, he changed course two weeks ago and joined same-sex marriage supporters in asking the court to void Proposition 8 and to uphold the estimated 18,000 same-sex unions sanctioned during the four months gay marriage was legal in the state.
Lawyers for the couples, gay rights groups and cities that brought the cases argue that the measure's backers used a flawed process for qualifying the amendment for the ballot.
The supporters of Prop 8 are the same types of people who would have pushed for a repeal of the Civil Rights Act forty years ago. It's hate and bigotry, pure and simple, but the Prop 8 proponents are too cowardly to admit it.
Ok, explain to me how allowing 2 people to marry kills anyone? Because I really don't see how you can equate the two issues. Relaxing gun control laws, which can be detrimental to one and all is a lot different than granting a right that only affects those getting married.
I don't understand why people think it's okay for a minority's right to be taken away through a ballot measure by the majority. This is not how African Americans gained the right to vote, and it's not how interacial marriage became legal. Issues regarding the rights of suspect or quasi-suspect groups are subject to greater scrutiny by our courts, and rightfully so.
MEDIA Just a year after buying The Wall Street Journal, the press rapscallion has revitalized the fusty paper.
Sponsored by
|
Loading Menu
Discuss