Tag Archives: ZZ: Jackson v District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics

Charisma Magazine: “The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF)—which in November filed a lawsuit against the elections board on behalf of members of the Stand4Marriage DC Coalition—is appealing the decision. They say the anti-discrimination laws in question were written in the 1970s, long before same-sex marriage was being debated nationally, and should not be used to prevent a referendum. ‘The people of D.C. have a right to vote on the definition of marriage, and the D.C. Charter guarantees that right,’ said ADF attorney Timothy J. Tracey.”

Baptist Press: “‘The people of D.C. have a right to vote on the definition of marriage, and the D.C. Charter guarantees that right,’ ADF attorney Timothy J. Tracey said in a statement. ‘We will continue to fight for the people’s right to participate in a legitimate democratic process in the district.’”

“On behalf of Pastor Harry Jackson and other voters, Alliance Defense Fund and Stand4MarriageDC attorneys will appeal a court decision issued Thursday that allows the District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics to deprive D.C. voters the right to decide the definition of marriage in the district.”

“D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith N. Macaluso ruled Thursday in favor of the city. She said the board’s action was justified because the initiative would in effect authorize discrimination.”

Metro Weekly: “The passage of the marriage equality bill by D.C. City Council on December 15 and signing of the bill by Mayor Adrian Fenty later that week may have been, as longtime District LGBT equality advocate Bob Summersgill said, ‘the easy step’ in reaching D.C. marriage equality . . . Last Wednesday, D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith Macaluso heard arguments from the District, the Board of Elections and the Alliance Defense Fund attorneys representing the Stand4Marriage D.C. Coalition about the question.”

Christian Post: “‘The people of D.C. have a right to vote on the definition of marriage,’ commented Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel at Alliance Defense Fund, which has filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight D.C. citizens. ‘The D.C. Charter guarantees the people the right to vote, and the council cannot amend the charter for any reason, much less to deny citizens the right to vote,’ he added in a statement.”

Church Executive: “The only hope of stopping the legalization of ‘gay marriage’ in the district appears to be through the courts. The Alliance Defense Fund has filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight D.C. citizens calling for approval of an attempt to place an initiative on the ballot to prohibit the unions. An effort to put such a proposal before voters failed when the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics turned it down Nov. 17.”

Washington City Paper: “As for the legal side, King and Jackson put a lot of faith in their attorneys, from the Alliance Defense Fund: ‘I believe that we have the best legal team in America,’ King says. A hearing is set for Jan. 6 before a Superior Court judge on one suit to force a popular vote on marriage.”

Windy City Times: “With the help of the Alliance Defense Fund, a right-wing legal group that has filed many challenges against equal rights for gays, the clergymen are still pressing forward with an effort to put the issue before voters in the District.”

Townhall (Baptist Press):”The Alliance Defense Fund has filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight D.C. citizens calling for approval of the attempt to place the initiative on the ballot.”

Townhall (Baptist Press): “The District of Columbia Council voted 11-2 to legalize ‘same-sex marriage’ Dec. 1, putting the capital in position to become the sixth U.S. jurisdiction to approve such unions . . . The Alliance Defense Fund has filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight D.C. citizens calling for approval of an effort to place the initiative on the ballot.”

WorldNetDaily: “‘The people of D.C. have a right to vote on the definition of marriage,’ said Austin Nimocks, a senior legal counsel
for the Alliance Defense Fund. ‘The D.C. Charter guarantees the people the right to vote, and the council cannot amend the charter for any reason, much less to deny citizens the right to vote.’”

“The people of D.C. have a right to vote on the definition of marriage,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Austin R. Nimocks.