Pro-Family Calif. Group Allowed to Defend Traditional Marriage in Lawsuits

by Allie Martin
October 21, 2004

(AgapePress) - A San Francisco judge has given a Christian activist group the legal standing to defend traditional marriage in California. A Christian attorney says the ruling ensures that all sides in the marriage debate will be heard in court.

In his ruling, Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer granted full party status to Campaign for California Families to defend state marriage laws in several consolidated lawsuits brought by homosexual activists. CCF because involved in the legal battle to defend traditional marriage earlier this year when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and his staff began issuing same-sex "marriage" licenses. This past August, California's Supreme Court said Newsom had no authority to issue the licenses to same-sex couples.

CCF will be represented in consolidated lawsuits by the Florida-based Liberty Counsel. Liberty president Mat Staver explains what Judge Kramer's ruling means.

Mat Staver

"Now Liberty Counsel, on behalf of Campaign for California Families and Randy Thomasson, its executive director, will be able to fully litigate, fully develop defense strategies, fully present evidence, fully brief, and fully argue the defense of the California marriage laws," he says.

And Kramer's ruling, Staver says, did not make same-sex marriage advocates happy. "The homosexual advocacy groups were outraged and were clearly dismayed by the fact that the judge ruled in our favor," the attorney says. "Judge Kramer clearly recognizes the benefit of hearing all sides of the marriage debate -- not just those arguments advanced by the same-sex couples and the Attorney General's office."

According to Staver, CCF's participation in the case is necessary because of what he calls the "weak defense" of California's marriage laws by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer.