“The citizens of California rely on the Legislature and the courts to safeguard against unlawful discrimination by temporary, and often short-lived, majorities,” said the legislators. “Our states few deviations from this duty have proven, with the perspective of historical distance, to be the most abhorrent chapters in our State’s history… The Legislative Amici urge this Court to prevent the momentary passions of a bare majority from compromising the enduring constitutional promise of equal protection under the law. Proposition 8’s radical change to our constitutional protections cannot be considered a mere ‘amendment.’ The California Constitution — ‘the ultimate expression of the People’s will’ — requires the involvement of the Legislature in a constitutional revision of this magnitude.”
“I am joining more than 29 members of the Assembly Democratic Caucus in supporting this brief,” said [Assembly] Speaker [Karen] Bass. “The inalienable right to equal treatment under the law must be protected and upheld.”
This was from today’s statement by the 40+ state legislators that filed a “friend of the court” brief siding with the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to overturn Prop 8 and permanently banish discrimination from the state constitution. Hopefully, this is only the beginning of good news to come in this important case to right what went wrong last week.
Most importantly, the legislators make a good case that a judicial rebuke of Prop 8 is NOT “undoing the will of the people”. Rather, the state constitution, the preeminent will of the people, stipulates that the “tyranny of the simple 50%+1 majority” must not be used to strip minority groups of fundamental rights.
I only hope the judges read this statement with open minds and open hearts.
i wonder where the 40 legislators were before tuesday?
Paul,
Here is the list of the State Legislators who opposed Proposition 8. My guess is that all of the people alligned with the statement urging repeal are on the list. They were on the list before Election day.
Elected Officials
United States Senator Barbara Boxer
United States Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Representative Howard Berman
United States Representative Lois Capps
United States Representative Susan Davis
United States Representative Mike Honda
United States Representative Barbara Lee
United States Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard
United States Representative Linda Sanchez
United States Representative Adam B. Schiff
United States Representative Brad Sherman
United States Representative Hilda L. Solis
United States Representative Jackie Speier
United States Representative Pete Stark
United States Representative Ellen Tauscher
United States Representative Mike Thompson
United States Representative Henry Waxman
United States Representative Lynn Woolsey
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
California Lt. Governor John Garamendi
California State Controller John Chiang
California State Board of Equalization Chair Judy Chu
California State Board of Equalization Vice Chair Betty T. Yee
California State Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata
California State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero
California State Senator Ron Calderon
California State Senator Gilbert Cedillo
California State Senator Ellen Corbett
California State Senator Lou Correa
California State Senator Denis Moreno Ducheny
California State Senator Sheila Kuehl
California State Senator Carole Migden
California State Senator Jenny Oropeza
California State Senator Alex Padilla
California State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas
California State Senator Jack Scott
California State Senator Patricia Wiggins
California Sate Senator Leland Yee
California State Senator Elaine Alquist
California State Senator Christine Kehoe
California State Senator Alan Lowenthal
California State Senator Darrell Steinberg
California State Senator Tom Torlakson
California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass
California Speaker Emeritus Fabian Nuñez
California Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico
California Assembly Assistant Majority Leader Kevin de Leon
California Assembly Majority Whip Fiona Ma
California Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Sally Lieber
California Assemblymember Jim Beall
California Assemblymember Patty Berg
California Assemblymember Julia Brownley
California Assemblymember Anna Caballero
California Assemblymember Charles Calderon
California Assemblymember Joe Coto
California Assemblymember Mike Davis
California Assemblymember Mark DeSaulnier
California Assemblymember Mervyn Dymally
California Assemblymember Mike Eng
California Assemblymember Noreen Evans
California Assemblymember Mike Feuer
California Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes
California Assemblymember Warren Furutani
California Assemblymember Loni Hancock
California Assemblymember Mary Hayashi
California Assemblymember Ed Hernandez
California Assemblymember Jared Huffman
California Assemblymember Dave Jones
California Assemblymember Betty Karnette
California Assemblymember Paul Krekorian
California Assemblymember John Laird
California Assemblymember Mark Leno
California Assemblymember Lloyd Levine
California Assemblymember Ted Liu
California Assemblymember Tony Mendoza
California Assemblymember Gene Mullin
California Assemblymember Pedro Nava
California Assemblymember Fabian Nunez
California Assemblymember Anthony Portantino
California Assemblymember Curren Price, Jr.
California Assemblymember Ira Ruskin
California Assemblymember Mary Salas
California Assemblymember Lori Saldana
California Assemblymember Sandre Swanson
California Assemblymember Lois Wolk
Chris,
Im a high propensity democrat. I never got a single call, or piece of mail for no on 8. Im just saying that these legislators might have done more than lend there name to a list since it was common thoght that Obama would take california. These legislators could have lend time, energy, and money to the no on 8 campaign or even coordinated campaigns for local races as well as no on 8. Just saying.
I also see Lou Correas name on the list but do not see two of the most prominent elected dems in oc on the list.
What happened prior to the election happened then. This is now, and we can only be so very grateful for the great support we are recieving now from leading politicians and religious leaders here in CA (including most within my own Episcopal Church) at this time.
These are band wagon politicians.
With the exception of a select few, NOBODY on your list did shit to further the cause.
It’s foolish, albeit needed to have them now stand up.
What’s next Tenesee Tiatns shirts.
MY Catholic parish did more to oppose 8 than many of these folks.