Whalen joins 225 other Mayors for Freedom to Marry with amicus brief on marriage submitted to U.S. Supreme Court

From a press release

City of Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen joined 225 other Mayors in signing onto a friend-of-the-court brief urging the Supreme Court of the United States to end marriage discrimination nationwide. The brief includes Mayors from towns as small as Thompson, North Dakota, to the largest five cities in the nation, as well as the U.S. Conference of Mayor, the International Municipal Lawyers Association and the National League of Cities.

“We launched Mayors for the Freedom to Marry three years ago because mayors are closest to their constituents and communities and singularly able to make the case that marriage makes for stronger families and a more vibrant economy,” said Marc Solomon, national campaign director of Freedom to Marry. “We’re very proud of the 700 mayors who have been a part of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry over the three years of this campaign. This brief demonstrates the diversity of leaders across the country who know that America is ready for the freedom to marry and want the Supreme Court to bring our country to national resolution.”

In commenting on the City’s decision to join on to the friend-of-the-court brief, Mayor Bob Whalen said “Laguna Beach has long been at the forefront of the effort to eliminate discrimination against same sex couples and to promote equal rights for these individuals who are our friends, neighbors and an important part of our community.  The City Council’s unanimous vote to support this effort underscores our continued commitment to this cause.”    

Since its launch, Mayors for the Freedom to Marry has partnered with the United States Conference of Mayors to build and grow support. 

“It is time for marriage equality to be the law of the land,” said U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran. “It’s the right thing to do and that’s why the U.S. Conference of Mayors has joined this brief. Our organization adopted policy opposing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in 1984.  In 2009 we adopted policy in support of the freedom to marry, and last June reaffirmed that policy and urged the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that freedom to marry is the right of all Americans.”

The brief was authored by the City Attorney’s Office of Los Angeles and was filed at the Supreme Court Friday morning. It states: “Municipalities, as the level of government most closely connected to the community they serve, bear a great burden when a target sector of their populace is denied the right to marry…When the freedom to marry is denied, municipalities are the first level of government to suffer the impact.”