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Google assists legal action in support of gay marriage

Google has filed an amicus brief in a number of legal challenges to California Proposition 8, a ballot initiative passed last November which made gay marriage illegal in California.As reported…

user iconLawyers Weekly • 21 January 2009 • NewLaw
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Google has filed an amicus brief in a number of legal challenges to California Proposition 8, a ballot initiative passed last November which made gay marriage illegal in California.

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As reported in itnews.com.au, Google, which has its head office located in California, claims that it has many gay and lesbian employees who came to work for the company when gay marriage was legal. If these marriages are annulled as a result of the proposition, Google argues it could lose these employees, placing it at a commercial disadvantage.

It also claims that the proposition will greatly disrupt its internal payment systems resulting in significant costs, because health insurance, tax benefits and taxation systems based on gay marriage being legal will need to be adjusted.

Proposition 8 was passed by a narrow majority in the Californian general election last November. It effectively overrules the decision in In re Marriage Cases (2008) 43 Cal.4th 757, which confirmed the legality of gay marriages last May. Since then a number of legal actions have been launched challenging the Proposition on constitutional grounds.

Google publicly announced its opposition to Proposition 8 on its official blog last September.

- Zoe Lyon

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