Supporters of California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage filed their long-expected petition Tuesday with the U.S. Supreme Court, hoping to overturn lower-court rulings.
The petition filed by attorney Charles Cooper and his legal allies, including Folsom-based attorney Andrew P. Pugno, called the same-sex marriage issue "exceedingly important" and spelled out multiple arguments in support of Proposition 8.
"The profoundly important question whether the ancient and vital institution of marriage should be fundamentally redefined to include same-sex couples is currently a matter of great debate in our nation," the brief states.
The Proposition 8 forces' brief warns of "widespread and immediate negative consequences" if the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision striking down the initiative is allowed to stand.
More pointedly, the brief cites ways in which the 9th Circuit ruling differs from those of other courts that have considered the same-sex marriage issue; the Supreme Court will often take cases precisely in order to resolve these kinds of judicial splits.
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