Other LanguagesOLYMPIA — In a push to protect the civil rights of same-sex couples nationwide, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and 14 other state Attorneys General are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear three marriage equality cases.
“Same-sex couples in too many states remain unable to marry,” said Ferguson. “It is time for the Supreme Court to weigh in on this critical civil rights issue and rule once and for all that state bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional.”
Ferguson joined the Attorneys General of Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Vermont today in filing a “friend of the court” brief asking the Supreme Court to agree to hear marriage equality cases from the Fourth and Tenth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal.
In each case, the federal circuit court struck down a state ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. The Attorneys General are asking the Supreme Court to affirm these rulings and grant equal access to marriage nationwide. The brief filed today is available, here.
“We’ve been fighting every step of the way for marriage equality here in Washington and across the country,” Ferguson said. “Until same-sex marriages are recognized nationwide, we’ll continue to stand up for the rights of those who cannot marry the person they love.”
In his ongoing support of marriage equality, Ferguson has previously joined forces with fellow Attorneys General in other cases before the courts. In October 2013, he joined a coalition of 15 states filing a “friend of the court” brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to argue against laws prohibiting same-sex marriage in Nevada and Hawaii.
Washington also joined two “friend of the court” briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court in support of marriage equality, including one in U.S. v. Windsor, in which the Court declared section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional on June 26, 2013.
The Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the Fourth and Tenth Circuit marriage equality cases sometime this fall.
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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is working hard to protect consumers and seniors against fraud, keep our communities safe, protect our environment and stand up for our veterans. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.
Contact:
Alison Dempsey-Hall, Acting Communications Director