City joins Supreme Court brief supporting same-sex marriage

The Laguna Beach City Council on Feb. 27 approved having the city and Mayor Bob Whalen join a U.S. Supreme Court brief supporting the right of same-sex couples to marry.

The special meeting was called since the deadline for Laguna to add its name to the amicus, or friends of the court, brief in support of DeBoer vs. Snyder was last Monday.

In the coming months, the Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of laws prohibiting same-sex marriage by hearing DeBoer and three other cases, all from different states. DeBoer is a federal court challenge to Michigan’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage filed Jan. 23, 2012.

“I believe it is important for the city of Laguna Beach to add its name to this endeavor and thereby demonstrate our strong support of and commitment to the principles articulated in the brief,” Whalen said in a city staff report. He intends to add his name to the brief as mayor.

In its 4-0 vote, the council, at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Steve Dicterow, authorized its members to add their names to the brief as individuals if they so choose. Councilman Kelly Boyd was absent.

The Los Angeles’ city attorney’s office took the lead on drafting the brief, which asks the Supreme Court to reverse a federal appeals court judgment and hold that states may not deny gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry or deny equal respect for their lawful marriages, the report says.

The San Francisco city attorney joined as a co-author.

Laguna Councilman Robert Zur Schmiede said he had his niece in mind when voting.

“I’m hoping when she meets someone she will be able to marry without delay,” Zur Schmiede said.