Various media are reporting that the
Obama administration will file a brief in support of gay marriage
with the Supreme Court in a case challenging the constitutionality of
California's Proposition 8, the 2008 voter-approved constitutional
amendment which limits marriage to heterosexual couples.
As recent as last week, Obama said he
was unsure whether the Justice Department would weigh in on the case.
“The solicitor general is still
looking at this,” Obama told San Francisco ABC affiliate ABC7's Dan
Ashley. “I have to make sure that I'm not interjecting myself too
much into this process, particularly when we're not a party to the
case.”
Proposition 8 put an end to the
marriages of gay and lesbian couples taking place in the state after
the California Supreme Court struck down the state's law excluding
gay couples from marriage.
Thursday is the final day the
administration can file an amicus brief in the case.
“Obama Justice Dept to file Supreme
Court amicus brief today opposing Prop 8 in Calif and expressing
support for same-sex marriage to resume,” NBC News' Pete Williams
tweeted.
The Courage Campaign, a progressive
organization based in California, applauded the president's decision
in a statement.
“We applaud President Obama for
standing-up for millions of Californians who simply want to marry the
person they love,” said Rick Jacobs, founder and chairman of the
Courage Campaign. “The two Supreme Court cases this summer will be
a watershed moment for equality and President Obama has put his
Administration squarely on the right side of history. Last November,
voters from Maine to Washington stood up for equality. Now it's time
for the Supreme Court to catch up with the American public.
Discrimination and hatred have no place in a country founded on the
principles of liberty, justice and equality.”