Big business overreach? Corporations push Supreme Court to legalize ‘gay marriage’

Last updated on: March 8, 2015 at 9:18 pm by CNA Daily News

Big business overreach? Corporations push Supreme Court to legalize ‘gay marriage’ 2015-03-08T21:18:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Mar 8, 2015 / 03:18 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- With the Supreme Court set to rule on a potentially far-reaching marriage case this summer, several hundred corporations are pushing for the court to require “gay marriage” recognition nationwide.

Reuters reported last week that almost 400 businesses had filed a “friend of the court” brief favoring a redefinition of marriage in a set of cases before the Court that will decide whether states, under the Fourteenth Amendment, must grant same-sex “marriage” licenses and recognize “gay marriages” conducted in other states.

The list of businesses includes a host of media, communications, and entertainment companies: Thompson Reuters Corporation, Disney, Viacom, Inc., Bloomberg, Verizon, DirectTV, Google, Comcast, CBS, and AT&T.

Social media companies Facebook and Twitter signed on to the brief. Even a few professional sports teams joined the list: the National Football League’s New England Patriots and Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays.

In addition, the list of businesses included financial companies, hotel companies, retail giants, and food and beverage corporations like PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and Miller Coors.

But Ryan Anderson, an author and scholar on marriage, religion and freedom, argued that big business should not push the Supreme Court to decide something that should be determined by the states.

“There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that requires the states to redefine marriage, and big business should not lobby the Supreme Court to say otherwise,” he told CNA.

“That so many big businesses are lobbying the Court, though, puts to rest the claim that gays and lesbians are a politically powerless ‘suspect class’ that is in need of special protections from the Court,” he continued. “The debate about marriage should be worked out democratically, not cut short by the Court.”

The companies’ argument for legalizing “gay marriage” was on the grounds that a division is created between states that have redefined marriage and those that have not.

This division, the legal brief said, creates a “fractured legal landscape” that “harms employers and employees alike,” resulting in inconsistent policies and a hindered ability to attract and retain employee talent.

The Supreme Court announced Thursday that it will hear oral arguments on marriage April 28. The case is expected to be decided in June.

The case stems from the Sixth Circuit Court decision in November upholding traditional marriage amendments in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The judges decided that the question of marriage should be left to the citizens and state legislatures and not the judiciary.

“Of all the ways to resolve this question, one option is not available: a poll of the three judges on this panel, or for that matter all federal judges, about whether gay marriage is a good idea,” the judges stated.

“Better in this instance, we think, to allow change through the customary political processes, in which the people, gay and straight alike, become the heroes of their own stories by meeting each other not as adversaries in a court system but as fellow citizens seeking to resolve a new social issue in a fair-minded way,” the circuit opinion concluded.

Previous Post

March 8, 2015

Let Jesus cleanse your heart, Pope Francis says

Next Post

March 8, 2015 Marginalizing women leads to sterile society, says Pope

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who prayed for rain after a long drought and sent his servant to look seven times?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Isaiah Samuel Elijah Hosea