WHO: ADF Senior Legal Counsel Brian Raum
WHAT: Available for media interviews following hearing in Godfrey v. Spano
WHEN: Monday, June 23, immediately following hearing, which begins at 10 a.m. EDT
WHERE: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, 45 Monroe Place, Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Brian Raum will be available for media interviews following a hearing Monday in a lawsuit alleging Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano illegally ordered county agencies to recognize out-of-state same-sex “marriages.”
“New York state agencies should respect the state’s marriage laws over the laws of foreign jurisdictions,” said Raum. “New York’s marriage laws are not arbitrary; they are designed to protect families and children. Government officials cannot exceed their authority to forward their personal agendas or the agenda of special interest groups. A New York court has ruled that only the legislature can legally define marriage.”
ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit against Spano on behalf of Westchester County taxpayers in August 2006, alleging that he exceeded his constitutional authority by issuing an order requiring county agencies to observe out-of-state same-sex “marriages.” A lower court dismissed the case in March 2007, and ADF attorneys filed an appeal two months later (www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4112).
A fact sheet for the lawsuit Godfrey v. Spano, which is now being heard in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/GodfreyFactSheet.pdf.
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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