Title
The Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission's Resolution to Advance LGBT Justice and Urge the Termination of Efforts to Appeal United States District Court's Ruling in Deboer v. Snyder
Memorandum
WHEREAS, the City of Ann Arbor has a long, rich, and proud history of leadership on matters of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ("LGBT") justice and equality;
WHEREAS, the Michigan Marriage Amendment ("the MMA"; Article I, Section 25 of the Michigan Constitution), restricted the benefits of marriage to the union of one man and one woman;
WHEREAS, on March 21, 2014, the Court for the Eastern District of Michigan issued a judgment based on exhaustive findings of fact and conclusions of law ("the Court's ruling"), detailing the manifest harm and destabilizing effects of the MMA on LGBT couples and on children raised by LGBT parents;
WHEREAS, the Court's ruling held "that the MMA impermissibly discriminates against same-sex couples in violation of the Equal Protection Clause because the provision does not advance any conceivable legitimate state interest";
WHEREAS, the Court's ruling declared the MMA unconstitutional and prohibited the State of Michigan from continuing its enforcement;
WHEREAS on March 22, 2014, Washtenaw County proudly presided over the legal marriages of seventy-four (74) LGBT couples;
WHEREAS on March 22, 2014, after the legal marriages of the 74 LGBT couples took place, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a temporary stay of the Court's ruling;
WHEREAS, on March 28, 2014, the United States Attorney General, Eric Holder, declared that the federal government will recognize Michigan's LGBT marriages as fully legal and therefore "eligible for all relevant federal benefits";
WHEREAS, Governor Snyder and Attorney General Schuette have each pledged that they will continue to defend the MMA and thereby work to prevent Michigan LGBT couples from enjoying the tangible and intangible benefits of marriag...
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