Mormon church joins other faiths in asking U.S. Supreme Court for same-sex marriage ban
The Salt Lake Tribune/April 13, 2015
By Jennifer Dobner
The LDS Church has joined with other faith traditions and religious organizations in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
The request comes as part of an "amicus," or "friend of the court," brief filed Friday ahead of arguments in a consolidated case from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that is scheduled for April 28, with a decision expected in June.
The case considers lower-court rulings from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee that ask the high court justices to answer two questions: Does the 14th Amendment require a state to license marriages between individuals of the same sex, and whether states are required to recognize same-sex marriages that were performed and are legal in other states.
The LDS Church has joined with other faith traditions and religious organizations in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule against legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
The request comes as part of an "amicus," or "friend of the court," brief filed Friday ahead of arguments in a consolidated case from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that is scheduled for April 28, with a decision expected in June.
The case considers lower-court rulings from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee that ask the high court justices to answer two questions: Does the 14th Amendment require a state to license marriages between individuals of the same sex, and whether states are required to recognize same-sex marriages that were performed and are legal in other states.
A Monday post on the church's website seeks to explain why church leaders would support nondiscrimination and oppose same-sex marriage.
"The legalization of same-sex marriage across the country does far more than grant same-sex couples the right to the same benefits as heterosexual married couples," the post, titled "Religious Freedom and Fairness for All," states.
"By redefining what marriage has been for most of human history, the court will impede the ability of religious people to participate fully as equal citizens in American civic life."
The statement adds that the LDS Church does not seek to dictate how others should live their lives, but brings its "values to the public square" and makes its case through the same channels as all.
"We can no more prohibit same-sex partnerships among the general population than we can mandate against heterosexual cohabitation before marriage," church leaders said. "In a pluralistic society, we make space for the rights and opinions of others, persuasively argue for laws that uphold moral principles based on our understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage our own members to live by those principles."
Gay marriage is currently legal in most states. Same-sex marriage became legal in Utah in December 2013, when a U.S. District Court judge struck down the state's ban on gay unions as unconstitutional.
The decision was stayed as the state appealed, but Utah lost its case before judges from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver last July.
The state filed a second appeal, to the U.S. Supreme Court, but in October 2014, the high court let stand multiple circuit court rulings that had overturned marriage-equality bans — a decision that effectively legalized same-sex marriage in Utah and 10 other states.
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