The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) has been rejected a third time in its attempt to intervene in a
case challenging Oregon's ban on gay marriage.
In a brief order, the full Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco denied NOM's request.
It is the latest in a string of losses
for NOM which started in May when it attempted at first to intervene
in the case and later delay implementation of U.S. District Judge
Michael McShane's ruling striking down Oregon's ban as
unconstitutional.
McShane denied NOM's attempt to
intervene in the case. A denial by a 3-judge panel of the Ninth
Circuit followed. On Monday, the full court concurred.
“[T]he National Organization for
Marriage's petition for rehearing en banc is denied,” the court
said.
NOM had argued that it should be
allowed to defend the state's ban because Oregon officials had
stopped.
In
a blog post, NOM President Brian Brown said the case was “an
ugly example of inappropriate cooperation between the Attorney
General and the gay marriage lobby, both of whom want to redefine
marriage in contravention of the overwhelming decision of the people
to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”
“The people of Oregon are entitled to
a defense of their decision on marriage rather than being abandoned
in Court,” Brown added.
NOM is also involved in legal attempts
to resurrect North Carolina's ban, which was also declared invalid by
a federal judge.