Orlando, FL-- Today, Liberty Counsel defended natural marriage and submitted amicus briefs on two fronts: the U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta and Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals.
At issue is whether the democratic vote of 5 million Floridians defining marriage as between one man and one woman will be respected, or whether marriage will be redefined by the court as between an undefined group of people who are “committed” to each other based upon an “emotional bond.” The amicus brief points out recent the holding of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal in DeBoer v. Snyder: “Of all the ways to resolve this question, one option is not available: a poll of the three judges on this panel, or for that matter all federal judges, about whether gay marriage is a good idea. Our judicial commissions did not come with such a sweeping grant of authority, one that would allow just three of us—just two of us in truth—to make such a vital policy call.”
“Judges in Puerto Rico and Louisiana have ruled similarly to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal. They found that the Fourteenth Amendment does not prohibit a state from affirming marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “Those courts found that the plaintiffs have not provided sufficient reason for dismantling the granite foundation of marriage and replacing it with the shifting sand of an undefined union of people.”
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
