Texas Values President Jonathan Saenz
A federal judge has denied conservative group Texas Values from filing an amicus brief in the lawsuit challenging the state’s constitutional marriage amendment.
The group’s brief argues that children in same-sex families are at a disadvantage compared to children in opposite-sex homes. It encourages the court to deny a temporary injunction two same-sex couples are seeking so state officials are prohibited from enforcing the state’s marriage ban. It further explains that studies by associations like the American Psychological Association are wrong in their findings that gay parents raise well-adjusted children.
“This case questions the constitutionality of Texas’ sovereign decision to preserve marriage as the union between one man and one woman,” the brief reads in part. “Texas Values’ interest in this case derives from the important public-policy issues implicated by that legal question. Thousands of Texans across the state support Texas Values financially and through prayer; and rely on Texas Values to be their voice for the protection of traditional marriage in Texas.
“Strong families are founded on the ideal of a lifelong marriage of one man and one woman. Healthy, enduring marriages enrich the lives of the couple, their children, and the community around them. For decades, the social sciences have provided clear and convincing evidence that not all family structures are equal. Texas Values presents much of the relevant social science pertinent to this question in this amicus brief.”
U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ruled Monday that the brief be stricken from the record because “it cites no legal authority in its motion to this regard.”
Arguments for the temporary injunction on the marriage ban’s enforcement are set for Feb. 12.
Read the brief here.
