Civil Rights

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, the recipient of the George Moscone Ally Award by Christopher Street West, the organizers of LA Pride, will ride in the Pride parade this Sunday, June 10.

Attorney General Harris was honored for her “bold leadership on matters of paramount importance to the LGBT community,” including her refusal to defend in court Proposition 8, the initiative that ended marriage equality in the state.

Attorney General Harris has long been an advocate for the LGBT community. As San Francisco District Attorney, she convened a national conference of prosecutors to undermine the “gay or trans panic” defense. She also tailored the office’s programs to serve the LGBT community, setting up special programs to combat anti-LGBT hate crimes, as well as an LGBT Victim Advocacy Unit and an LGBT Sexual Assault Awareness Program. A long-time advocate of marriage equality, Harris has been performing marriages for LGBT couples since 2004.

“I am honored to advocate for California’s LGBT community and am honored to be presented with the George Moscone Ally Award,” said Attorney General Harris. “Our American democracy is founded on the principle of equality before the law, and any law that denies rights to one group of people because of who they are contradicts that core principle. George Moscone lived by this principle, and his legacy lives on.”

“These are hopeful times for the LGBT community, especially with recent rulings against Propostion 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. Proposition 8 denies equality under the law to gay and lesbian couples. Each and every day since it was passed, same-sex couples have been denied their right to convene loved ones and friends to celebrate marriages sanctioned and protected by California law. Each one of those days, loved ones have been lost, moments have been missed, and justice has been denied. We must transform our hope for equality into action to achieve it.'”

LA’s annual pride parade began in 1970, one year after the Stonewall Rebellion which occurred on Christopher Street in New York City. Today, over 400,000 participants march annually in West Hollywood in support of the LGBT community. The Christopher Street West Association, a non-profit organization that advocates for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered communities, organizes the annual Los Angeles LGBT Pride Parade.

SACRAMENTO --- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued the following statement:

“I applaud the President's statement today supporting marriage equality. Equality before the law is the founding principle of our nation. In that spirit, I will continue our common work to ensure that equality belongs to all Californians and all Americans.”

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today applauded a decision by the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to affirm the reinstatement of the right of same-sex couples to marry in California.

“Today’s ruling is a victory for fairness, a victory for equality and a victory for justice,” said Attorney General Harris. “Proposition 8 denied to gay and lesbian couples the equal protection to which all Americans are entitled. By striking this unconstitutional law from our books, the court has restored dignity, equality and respect to all Californians.”

The Ninth Circuit Court today upheld with Perry v. Brown the decision of Judge Vaughn Walker, which enjoins state and local officials from enforcing the ban on same-sex marriage. Attorney General Harris, along with Governor Brown and other state and local officials, refused to defend the law.

In 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that state laws restricting the right of same-sex couples to marry violated the state constitution. Later that year, the voters approved Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution to provide that “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

The California Supreme Court upheld this law against a challenge under the state constitution, but did not consider any challenge on federal constitutional grounds. Perry v. Brown raised federal constitutional challenges of equal protection and due process that were not considered by the state supreme court. After a full trial on the merits, district court Judge Vaughn Walker concluded that Proposition 8 violated these principles of due process and equal protection. His decision to enjoin enforcement of Proposition 8 was issued in 2011.

Today’s decision from the Ninth Circuit upholds that decision.

SACRAMENTO --- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has joined 11 other state attorneys general in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Supreme Court urging the court in Magner v. Gallagher to rule that federal anti-discrimination law can be enforced in cases where a housing or mortgage policy appears neutral on its surface but has a discriminatory effect.

“Segregation in housing and barriers to equal opportunity remain a great concern for communities throughout the country. Disparate impact causes of action are needed to respond to contemporary forms of bias and to eliminate practices and policies that perpetuate segregated housing patterns,” the amicus brief states.

This case involves a policy of the City of St. Paul, Minnesota to remedy “problem properties” by targeting low-income renter-occupied properties for housing-code violations, condemnations and evictions. In 2004 and 2005, a group of current and former owners of rental properties challenged the city’s policy, contending that these practices had a disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities and, in particular, African Americans. African Americans made up 60 to 70 percent of the city’s low-income renters, while they made up approximately 12 percent of the population of St. Paul.

“For more than four decades, the Fair Housing Act has been a key tool for rooting out discrimination in housing and residential financing,” Attorney General Harris said. “Minority homeowners and renters in California, who have been disproportionately impacted by the housing and mortgage crisis, deserve access to housing without facing discrimination and other deceptive practices.”

The plaintiffs challenged the city’s policy in federal court under the Fair Housing Act, which is part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. In 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that housing policies that disproportionately impact protected groups violate the Fair Housing Act and are subject to disparate-impact scrutiny. The City appealed that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments in the matter in February 2012.

A bipartisan group of attorneys general joining California in this brief represent Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Utah and West Virginia.

A copy of the amicus brief is attached to the online version of this release at www.oag.ca.gov.

SACRAMENTO --- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today issued the following statement on the Perry v. Brown ruling:

“While the Department of Justice argued the Proposition 8 proponents do not have standing to pursue this appeal, the court has ruled otherwise. This ruling now shifts the litigation to the federal court of appeals. I firmly believe that Proposition 8 violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the U.S. Constitution and am confident that justice will prevail.”

SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has filed a brief in the case of Kristin M. Perry, et al. v. Edmund G. Brown Jr., et al. A copy of the brief is attached.

SAN FRANCISCO – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case of Kristin M. Perry, et al. v. Edmund G. Brown Jr., et al. A copy of the brief is attached.

SAN FRANCISCO – Attorney General Kamala D. Harris hosted a Smart on Crime Policy Summit today with a veteran, bi-partisan group of leaders from across the state. Ten work groups – focusing on topics ranging from policing to victims’ rights – prepared briefing papers for Attorney General Harris. The papers, dealing with critical issues facing California, were the focus of the summit at U.C. Hastings College of the Law.

The 10 groups drew insights from best practices of other attorneys general, law enforcement leaders, universities, foundations, think tanks and others at the forefront of research, ideas and innovation. More information about the work groups, and the briefing papers, can be found at: www.smartoncrimepolicy.org.

The honorary co-chairs are William Bratton, former Los Angeles Chief of Police; Warren Christopher, former U.S. Secretary of State; Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers; State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco); Constance L. Rice, co-director of The Advancement Project; George Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State; and Kathleen Sullivan, professor and former dean of Stanford Law School.

The following is a list of topic areas and chairs of the 10 work groups:

Civil Rights Enforcement
Bill Lann Lee, Shareholder, Lewis, Feinberg, Lee, Renaker & Jackson, P.C.

Education & Truancy
Carlos Garcia, Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District
Laurene Powell, Co-founder & President of the Board, College Track

Environmental Enforcement
Rick Frank, Director, California Environmental Law & Policy Center, U.C. Davis School of Law
John Poyner, District Attorney, Colusa County

Organized Crime, Gangs and Gun Crime
Lee Baca, Sheriff, Los Angeles County
Charlie Beck, Chief of Police, Los Angeles Police Department
Rev. Jeff Carr, Chief of Staff, Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, City of Los Angeles
Gilbert Otero, District Attorney, Imperial County
Mike Ramos, District Attorney, San Bernardino County
Jack Weiss, Managing Director & Head of Los Angeles Office, Kroll

Health
Paul Gallegos, District Attorney, Humboldt County
Jane Garcia, CEO, La Clincia de La Raza
Dr. Mitch Katz, Director, Los Angeles Public Health Department
Dr. Bob Ross, President & CEO, The California Endowment

Mortgage Fraud and Consumer Protection
Kelly Dermody, Partner, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein
Dan Grunfeld, Co-Chair, Litigation Department, Kaye Scholer
Greg Totten, District Attorney, Ventura Country

Policing
Tony Batts, Chief of Police, Oakland Police Department
Ron Davis, Chief of Police, East Palo Alto Police Department
George Gascon, District Attorney, San Francisco
Bill Landsdowne, Chief of Police, San Diego Police Department

Reentry & Recidivism Reduction
Lee Baca, Sheriff, Los Angeles County
Bonnie Dumanis, District Attorney, San Diego County
Larry Morse, District Attorney, Merced County
Tim Silard, President, Rosenberg Foundation
Mimi Silbert, President & CEO, Delancey Street Foundation

Technology
Ed Berberian, District Attorney, Marin County
Jack Christin, Jr., Associate General Counsel, eBay/PayPal
David Drummond, Senior Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, Google
Fred Humphries, Managing Director, Microsoft
Bruce Ives, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Hewlett-Packard
Scott Forstall, Senior Vice President, iPhone Software, Apple
Mitchell Kapor, Founder, Lotus Development Corporation
Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook

Victims' Rights
Gary Lieberstein, District Attorney, Napa County
Nancy O’Malley, District Attorney, Alameda County
Esta Soler, Founder & President, Family Violence Prevention Fund

For additional information, please call the Attorney General’s press office at 510.622.4500.

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SAN FRANCISCO - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today asked the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to dismiss its order prohibiting same-sex marriages in California until an appeal of Proposition 8 is resolved.

“For 846 days, Proposition 8 has denied equality under the law to gay and lesbian couples,” Attorney General Harris said. “Each and every one of those days, same-sex couples have been denied their right to convene loved ones and friends to celebrate marriages sanctioned and protected by California law. Each one of those days, loved ones have been lost, moments have been missed, and justice has been denied.”

In a statement filed with the Ninth Circuit, Attorney General Harris asked the appeals court to lift its stay of Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling declaring Proposition 8 -- which prohibits same-sex couples from marrying in California -- unconstitutional.

The appeal of Judge Walker’s ruling is pending before the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The Ninth Circuit has also asked the California Supreme Court to rule whether the proponents of Proposition 8 have standing to defend the initiative in court.

Last year, Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. also opposed the stay.

Attorney General Harris said it is unlikely that an appeal will succeed in overturning Judge Walker’s ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. The appeal’s likelihood of success has been substantially diminished, Attorney General Harris said, “both by the United States Attorney General’s conclusion that sexual orientation classifications are unconstitutional because they cannot survive rational basis scrutiny, and by this Court’s certification order to the California Supreme Court, which seriously questions the Court’s jurisdiction to decide the merits of the case.”

In addition, Attorney General Harris said, “there is no injury that the proponents of Proposition 8 will suffer if same-sex couples are permitted to enter into civil marriages in California.” But as long as the stay on same-sex marriages remains in effect, Attorney General Harris said, the due process and equal protection rights of same-sex couples will continue to be violated, perpetuating unconstitutional discrimination and making a stay of Judge Walker’s ruling legally inappropriate.

“The President and the United States Attorney General have determined that they will not continue to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (‘DOMA’),” Harris said, because sexual orientation classifications warrant heightened scrutiny and, under that demanding standard, the law is unconstitutional.”

The California Attorney General’s long-standing position, Harris told the Ninth Circuit, is that Proposition 8 “violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

“I applaud the President and Attorney General’s decision today to uphold the Constitution and to decline to defend the federal ban on same-sex marriage,' California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said. “It has long been my view that such a ban on same-sex marriage cannot be sustained under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment – a view of the law rooted in a proud line of American jurisprudence stretching back over 50 years.

“The fundamental oath one takes as the People’s counsel is to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States. Attorney General Holder is doing so in his principled refusal to uphold a law that violates the Constitution’s basic guarantees of equality and fairness. I applaud his and the President’s courage in doing so and will continue our work to secure marriage equality for all Californians.”