General
General Counsel: Sevcik v Sandoval Brief (2014)
USCCB Brief Amicus Curiae on U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Case No. 12-17668 (SEVCIK v SANDOVAL), January 28, 2014
The voices of millions of Americans are represented in the broad cross-section of faith communities that join in this brief. Our theological perspectives, though often differing, converge on a critical point: that the traditional, husband-wife definition of marriage is vital to the welfare of children, families, and society. Faith communities like ours are among the essential pillars of this Nation’s marriage culture. With our teachings, rituals, traditions, and ministries, we sustain and nourish both individual marriages and a marriage culture that makes enduring marriages possible. We have the deepest interest in strengthening the time-honored institution of husband-wife marriage because of our religious beliefs and also because of the benefits it provides to children, families, and society. Our practical experience in this area is unequaled. In millions of ministry settings each day, we especially see the benefits that married mother-father parenting brings to children. And we deal daily with the devastating effects of out-of-wedlock births, failed marriages, and the general decline of the venerable husband-wife marriage institution.
We therefore seek to be heard in the democratic and judicial forums where the fate of that foundational institution will be decided. This brief is submitted out of a shared conviction that the United States Constitution does not prohibit the People of Nevada from deciding—whether directly or through their elected representatives—to preserve the husband-wife definition of marriage. Statements of interest of the amici may be found in the Addendum to this brief.