ADF appeals New Orleans domestic partnerships case
http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4419
ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND NEWS RELEASE
March 7, 2008 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom
ADF attorneys appeal domestic partnership case
Appeal states that city of New Orleans violated state constitution
when it granted domestic partner benefits
NEW ORLEANS — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed an appeal Friday of a state court decision that upheld the city of New Orleans’ establishment of a “domestic partnership” registry. The registry’s purpose is to provide taxpayer-funded benefits to the unmarried “partners” of city employees even though the Louisiana Constitution specifically forbids local governments from enacting ordinances “governing private or civil relationships.”
“The government should promote and encourage strong families,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Mike Johnson. “In this case, city officials have undermined the state constitution and well-established public policy by seeking to equate same-sex relationships with real marriage. The effort is an unlawful use of taxpayer dollars and a direct affront to the will of the people of Louisiana who voted overwhelmingly to protect marriage by constitutional amendment.”
In June 2003, ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit on behalf of New Orleans’ taxpayers against the city’s establishment of a registry for the purpose of allowing unmarried same-sex or opposite sex “domestic partners” of city employees to obtain the same benefits reserved for married employees. In May 2006, the Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the taxpayers had the right to sue the city (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=3750).
On Jan. 24, a state district court judge ruled that the city of New Orleans was within its authority when it established the registry. ADF attorneys are now appealing that decision to the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal.
“Marriage is under attack because certain special interest groups are trying to reduce it to little more than a benefits system for emotionally attached couples,” said Johnson. “We’re all in a lot of trouble if special interests become more important than strong families.”
ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.