Were you wondering what’s next for AFER, following their victory in California over Prop 8? Well, wonder no more: today they announced a new plan to win full federal equality with a lawsuit in Virginia.
We’ll skip all the “is for lovers” jokes for now and focus on a few facts: this is much of the same leadership that shepherded the Prop 8 case (Ted Olson and David Boies are back!) and essentially the same argument: marriage bans are unconstitutional.
The goal here isn’t litigating our way to equality one state at a time — that’s why they filed the case in federal court. Just as in California, the intention is to win a federal ruling that’ll undo all marriage bans, everywhere in the U.S., all at once.
One potential difference between this case and the Prop 8 case: Virginia’s courts can be a whole lot faster. It took five years to overturn Prop 8, but we may have a resolution in Virginia awfully soon. Stay tuned.
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Taliaferro
This is excellent news! I am a Virginian. There is much about this state that is wonderful but we lag far behind when it comes to equality. A few rabid anti-human wingnuts get all the attention. I live in a rural county – Nelson – with 15,000 residents. We also have the Monroe Institute, Sychronicity in our country and just across the James, Yogaville. We have a healthy LGBT community and a great deal of acceptance. Yes, people such a Cuccinelli and Jackson get the media hype and claim for speak for us all. Don’t believe them.
jwrappaport
I am suddenly less sad to be a [de facto] Virginian.