Washington D.C., Jun 18, 2009 / 03:26 am
A Washington, D.C. election board’s rejection of a voter referendum on its decision to recognize same-sex “marriages” contracted in other jurisdictions has been challenged in a lawsuit.
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics had ruled the referendum would violate the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977.
A lawsuit filed by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) on behalf of Bishop Harry R. Jackson and other D.C. voters challenged the board’s ruling, noting that the District of Columbia Court of Appeals 15 years ago ruled that maintaining the recognition of marriage as between a man and a woman does not violate the act.
“Marriage didn’t violate the Human Rights Act when the HRA passed 32 years ago, and it doesn’t now. That is simply a political argument meant to prevent the people from voting,” ADF Senior Legal Counsel Brian Raum said in a statement.