Asian American Justice Center Applauds California Supreme Court Decision  

In a 4-3 decision, drafted by Chief Justice Ronald George, the court ruled: "In light of the fundamental nature of the substantive rights embodied in the right to marry — and their central importance to an individual's opportunity to live a happy, meaningful, and satisfying life as a full member of society — the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all individuals and couples, without regard to their sexual orientation."

“Asian Americans have a long history of exclusion and were denied the equal ability to marry because of race,” said Vincent A. Eng, deputy director of AAJC. “This victory underscores that our history is not forgotten and that marriage equality cannot be denied to lesbian and gay Asian Americans.”

California joins Massachusetts as the second state to recognize marriage equality for the lesbian and gay community. In 2003, AAJC filed an amicus brief in support of marriage equality in the Massachusetts landmark case Goodridge v. Dep't of Public Health, which established those rights.

“Groups who supported the ban on marriage equality are already organizing to overturn the court’s opinion through a constitutional amendment on the November ballot,” said Aimee J. Baldillo, director of programs at AAJC. “The Asian American community is already working to ensure that this does not happen and it is imperative we all work together to protect our rights.”

For more information on how you can ensure marriage equality please visit: http://ga1.org/EFA/join.tcl

The California Supreme Court's opinion can be found at: http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/supreme/

Asian American Amicus brief can be found at:http://www.advancingequality.org/attachments/files/92/CA_Marriage_case.pdf

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The Asian American Justice Center (www.advancingequality.org), formerly known as NAPALC, is a national organization dedicated to defending and advancing the civil and human rights of Asian Americans. It works closely with three affiliates – the Asian American Institute in Chicago (www.aaichicago.org), the Asian Law Caucus (www.asianlawcaucus.org) in San Francisco, and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (www.apalc.org) in Los Angeles – and nearly 100 community partners in 49 cities, 23 states and Washington, D.C.