New York–(ENEWSPF)–July 28, 2014. Today, following a ruling by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals striking down Virginia’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples, North Carolina’s attorney general says his office will no longer fight lawsuits seeking to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex couples’ freedom to marry.
Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement:
“Attorney General Roy Cooper’s principled decision to stop spending North Carolina’s taxpayers’ money to defend indefensible marriage discrimination puts him in good company, alongside the U.S. Attorney General and eight of his state counterparts. The Constitution’s command is clear, as is the writing on the wall — and it’s time to end marriage discrimination and proclaim liberty throughout the land, including North Carolina and Virginia where so many loving and committed couples are eager to share in the freedom to marry.”
Attorney General Roy Cooper is the ninth state attorney general across the country who has refused to defend a state marriage ban. Cooper’s decision follows similar moves from the attorneys general in California, New Mexico, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Virginia, Oregon, and Kentucky. Each of these attorneys general refused to defend anti-marriage laws in their states, declaring them unconstitutional and indefensible, as have nearly 30 consecutive rulings in state and federal courts across the country.
Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage nationwide. We are pursuing our Roadmap to Victory by working to win the freedom to marry in more states, grow the national majority for marriage, and end federal marriage discrimination. We partner with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.
Source: http://www.freedomtomarry.org
