UPDATED: Legal and Community Groups to Hold Press Conference Following Supreme Court Ruling on Marriage Rights for Gay and Lesbian Couples

The California Supreme Court has announced that it will rule tomorrow, May 15, 2008, on whether barring same-sex couples from marriage violates the state constitution. At noon - approximately two hou

Lawsuits challenging the marriage ban were filed in March 2004, immediately after the California Supreme Court ordered the City of San Francisco to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Fifteen couples are represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, Heller Ehrman LLP, and the Law Office of David C. Codell. The cases, along with four others, were consolidated into one appeal, In re Marriage Cases, which eventually made its way to the Supreme Court.

However the Court decides, the ruling will make history and have enormous impact on the movement for gay and lesbian civil rights, as well as the lives of many thousands of same-sex couples and their families across the country. It also will set the stage for a battle to protect the California Constitution from an anti-gay constitutional amendment initiative likely to appear on the November ballot.

WHEN: 11:30 AM, Thursday, May 15, 2008

WHERE: L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Village at Ed Gould Plaza
1125 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles, CA 90038

WHO: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Jon Davidson, Legal Director for Lambda Legal, Co-counsel for plaintiffs
Lorri L. Jean, Executive Director, L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Clare Pastore, ACLU of Southern California
Cary Davidson, Board VP, Equality California

Other local couples will be available for one-on-one interviews.

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.

Since 1971 the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center has been building the health, advocating for the rights and enriching the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

www.lambdalegal.org
www.lagaycenter.org

CONTACT: Jason Howe of Lambda Legal, Office +1-213-382-7600 ext.247, Cell: +1-415-595-9245, jhowe@lambdalegal.org; or Jim Key of L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Office: +1-323-993-7623, jkey@lagaycenter.org

/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- May 14/

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Source: L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

Web Site: http://www.lagaycenter.org/
http://www.lambdalegal.org/

2008-05-14 20:15:17 0362105 PRNEWSWIRE