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Washington Supreme Court Fails to Uphold Marriage Equality (07/26/2006)
OLYMPIA, WA -- Reversing rulings in favor of marriage equality by two state courts, the Washington Supreme Court today found that the state’s ban on marriage by same-sex couples does not violate the state constitution. In the appeal of cases brought by 19 couples who wish to marry, the Court upheld the state’s Defense of Marriage Act of 1998 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

ACLU Urges House to Reject Discriminatory Constitutional Amendment, Notes Senate Failed to Limit Debate on Measure in June (07/18/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the House of Representatives to reject a discriminatory proposal to amend the Constitution to deny marriage protections to gay and lesbian couples and their children. Both houses of Congress overwhelmingly rejected an identical proposal in 2004, and the Senate in June failed to limit debate on the measure, effectively killing it. The House is expected to consider the amendment later today.

ACLU Applauds House for Rejecting Discriminatory Constitutional Amendment (07/18/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded the House of Representatives as it joined the Senate in overwhelmingly rejecting a discriminatory proposal to amend the Constitution to deny marriage protections to gay and lesbian couples and their children. Today’s move follows a similar rejection by both houses of Congress in 2004, and by the Senate last month.

ACLU Urges California Court to Strike Down Law Banning Same-Sex Couples from Marriage (07/10/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO – After appearing in court today, we are hopeful that we persuaded the Court that it goes against California’s rich history of fairness for all people to deny same-sex couples the ability to marry. Same-sex couples fall in love, make commitments and raise children just as straight couples and shouldn’t be denied the ability to marry and the dignity and protections that come with it.

ACLU Denounces New York High Court Decision Denying Marriage Protections for Same-Sex Couples (07/06/2006)
ALBANY – The American Civil Liberties Union today denounced the New York Court of Appeals decision upholding by a 4 to 2 vote a state law that bars same-sex couples from marriage and the hundreds of family protections provided to married couples.

ACLU Applauds Senate for Rejecting Discriminatory Constitutional Amendment, Says House Must Also Reject President’s Anti-Gay Agenda (06/07/2006)
WASHINGTON – As the Senate failed to limit debate on the Federal Marriage Amendment today, the American Civil Liberties Union applauded the legislators for effectively rejecting the discriminatory proposal, and called on the House of Representative to do the same. By a vote 49 to 48, the Senate failed, once again, to garner the 60 votes necessary to invoke cloture, a procedural move that would limit floor discussion and bring the measure to a vote.

ACLU Rebukes President Bush’s Support for Federal Marriage Amendment, Says Proposal Would Write Discrimination Into the Constitution (06/05/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today strongly condemned President Bush for publicly supporting a proposal to amend the Constitution to deny marriage protections to gay and lesbian couples and their children. Both houses of Congress overwhelmingly rejected a similar Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004, and the Senate is expected to consider the proposal on Wednesday.

ACLU Urges New York High Court to Strike Down Law Banning Same-Sex Couples from Marriage (05/31/2006)
ALBANY – The American Civil Liberties Union appeared before New York’s highest court today to urge the court to strike down a state law that bars same-sex couples from marriage and the hundreds of family protections provided to married couples.

Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Discriminatory Constitutional Amendment, ACLU Denounces Amending the Constitution Behind Closed Doors (05/18/2006)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed its disappointment as the Senate Judiciary Committee, meeting in a tiny room behind the Senate floor, approved a measure to amend the Constitution to deny marriage protections to gay and lesbian couples and their children. Both houses of Congress overwhelmingly rejected an identical proposal in 2004.

Utah Court Rules Anti-Gay Amendment Doesn’t Bar Salt Lake City from Offering Domestic Partner Benefits (05/16/2006)
SALT LAKE CITY – A Utah court has ruled that its anti-gay relationship amendment, one of the most sweeping of its kind to pass in the 2004 elections, does not bar Salt Lake City from offering health insurance benefits to the domestic partners of city employees. The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of a lesbian employee of the Salt Lake City Police Department the local branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), cheered the decision as an important victory for lesbian and gay couples in states with similar anti-gay relationship amendments.

Religious and Civil Rights Groups Urge New York’s High Court to Strike Down Laws Barring Same-Sex Couples from Marriage (04/24/2006)
ALBANY, NY -- In 14 friend-of-the-court briefs filed with the New York Court of Appeals, national and statewide religious and civil rights leaders and organizations urge the court to put an end to state laws that deny same-sex couples the protections of marriage. The court is hearing oral arguments in lawsuits brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and others on behalf of same-sex couples on May 31, 2006.

ACLU Urges New York’s High Court to End Unfairness Against Gay Couples in Marriage (03/03/2006)
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today asked New York’s highest court to strike down a New York law that bars lesbian and gay couples and their families from the protections of marriage.

ACLU of Tennessee Files Appeal Over Passage of Anti-Marriage Amendment (02/23/2006)
NASHVILLE – The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee today announced an appeal to the State Supreme Court after Davidson County Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle ruled to allow an anti-marriage amendment to go forward.

ACLU Promises to Appeal Marriage Case for Same-Sex Couples to New York’s Highest Court (02/16/2006)
ALBANY – The American Civil Liberties Union today promised to appeal to New York’s highest court after an intermediate court refused to strike down a state law that bars same-sex couples from marriage and the hundreds of family protections afforded to married couples.

Oral Arguments Held in Federal Appeals Court: ACLU and Lambda Legal Urge Court to Uphold Prior Ruling Striking Down Extreme Antigay Nebraska Law Banning All Protections for Same-Sex Couples (02/13/2006)
ST. LOUIS - In oral arguments today at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the America Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal urged the court to uphold a lower court ruling which struck down the extreme antigay family law in Nebraska banning all protections for the relationships of same-sex couples.

Six Same-Sex Couples Urge Florida Supreme Court to Strike Initiative Threatening Families of Same-Sex Couples (02/08/2006)
TALLAHASSEE, FL –An anti-gay proposed Constitutional amendment that failed to gather enough signatures to be placed on the 2006 ballot should be thrown out altogether because it deceives voters, the American Civil Liberties Union argued before the Florida Supreme Court today.

ACLU of Pennsylvania Calls Proposed Constitutional Amendment Anti-Family and Discriminatory (01/24/2006)
PHILADELPHIA – The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania today proudly joins with our allies and friends to announce our spirited opposition to the constitutional amendment that is being proposed here in Pennsylvania. We know that this amendment is not just about same-sex marriage. Rather we recognize it for what it is – a political and divisive attack on thousands of families, children and loving relationships. We call on the members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly to reject this unnecessary and discriminatory amendment.

Maryland Court Says State Cannot Bar Same-Sex Couples from Marriage Protections (01/20/2006)
BALTIMORE - A Maryland circuit court ruled today that it is a violation of the state constitution to deny same-sex couples the numerous protections provided to married couples. The American Civil Liberties Union and Equality Maryland hail the decision as an historic step toward the ability of same-sex couples to legally marry in the state.

Religious and Civil Rights Groups Support Same-Sex Couples in Legal Battle to Marry (01/10/2006)
SAN FRANCISCO -- In eight friend-of-the-court briefs filed Monday with the California Court of Appeal, more than more than 250 religious and civil rights organizations urged the court to put an end to state laws that deny same-sex couples the protections of marriage. The Court is hearing the State’s appeal of the March 2005 decision by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer, which held that California’s current statutory ban on marriage of same-sex couples violates the California Constitution.