WASHINGTON, DC–(ENEWSPF)–November 4, 2011. Yesterday, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) joined 132 other members of the House of Representatives to file an Amicus Brief in strong opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA.)
Filed in the consolidated case of Massachusetts v. Dept. of Health and Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, the brief states that Section 3 of DOMA undermines several legitimate interests of Congress and fails to hold up under constitutional scrutiny.
Despite Democratic opposition, House Republican leadership voted to appoint a Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to defend DOMA. The brief comes after a controversial 3-2 vote by BLAG authorized Speaker John Boehner to spend taxpayer monies to defend DOMA in court cases across the country and rebuts BLAG’s defense of the law.
“I am a strong supporter of marriage equality. The Defense of Marriage Act is not only unconscionable; it is also unconstitutional,” Rep. Schakowsky said, “I have heard first-hand from constituents and friends who are discriminated against, and whose lives are negatively impacted by this bad law. It has to stop. I am proud to sign my name to this brief, which explains in great depth why DOMA must be struck down in federal court.”
This brief will be filed in each case that has proceeded to the court of appeals after BLAG has intervened to defend DOMA.
For the full text of the Amicus Brief, click here .
Source: schakowsky.house.gov
