The United States Conference of Mayors
has joined a legal brief urging the Supreme Court to strike down the
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prevents the federal government
from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors, which
includes 1,309 member cities, each of which is represented by their
mayor or other chief elected official, joined nearly 300 companies,
as well as individual mayors and trade associations, in an amicus
brief filed before the Supreme Court in the case Windsor v. United
States.
In the brief, signers called on the
high court to strike down the law first enacted in 1996, focusing on
how DOMA burdens employers. DOMA “forces us to treat one class of
our lawfully married employees differently than another, when our
success depends upon the welfare and morale of all employees.”
“Uniting with businesses from Adobe
to Xerox in standing against DOMA, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has
shown the true American spirit of equality and fairness today,”
Evan Wolfson, president and founder of Freedom to Marry, said in a
statement. “Mayors know well that marriage and family are the
cornerstone of strong communities, and that a federal law that
discriminates against marriages violates the Constitution and has got
to go.”
Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter,
president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, is an active member of
Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, a group of 300 mayors who have
pledged to support efforts to legalize marriage equality in their
states.
“The U.S. Conference of Mayors is
proud to sign on to this brief,” Nutter said. “Mayors want their
citizens and businesses to prosper, and that means supporting them
against discrimination – from any level of government. Married
means married, and mayors and businesses agree that DOMA can't
stand.”