CLEVELAND — Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a
lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of taxpayers against the city of Cleveland to challenge its “domestic partner registry,” which violates the Ohio Constitution. The new law gives cohabitating partners a legal recognition that is similar to that of married couples.
“Local governments should not enact laws in defiance of the state constitution,” said Ohio-based ADF-allied attorney David R. Langdon, who filed the lawsuit together with ADF attorneys. “Ohio voters amended their state’s constitution by an overwhelming margin in 2004, using the democratic process to affirm the long-held legal definition of marriage and eliminate any attempts at counterfeits. The city of Cleveland is attempting to skirt the clear intention of the voters.”
Under the “domestic partner” registry, the city of Cleveland recognizes a legal status for a relationship between two adults who are cohabitating in a “committed” partnership resembling marriage, even though such recognition is expressly prohibited under Article XV, Section 11 of the Ohio Constitution.
In May,
Langdon sent a letter to City of Cleveland Law Director Robert J. Triozzi, informing him of the problems with the city’s newly enacted registry and asking him to advise the city to discontinue it.
Langdon and ADF attorneys filed the
complaint with the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in
Cleveland Taxpayers for the Ohio State Constitution v. City of Cleveland. They are also asking the court for
preliminary and permanent injunctions to stop operation of the registry.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
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