May, 21 2014, 04:02pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sara Mullen, ACLU of Pennsylvania, 215-592-1513 x122, smullen@aclupa.org
Robyn Shepherd, ACLU national, 212-519-7829 or 549-2666, media@aclu.org
Pennsylvania Governor Will Not Appeal Marriage Equality Decision
Governor Tom Corbett announced today that he will not appeal yesterday's federal court decision striking down Pennsylvania's ban on marriage for same-sex couples. His announcement makes the commonwealth the 19th state to grant same-sex couples the freedom to marry. The case was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, volunteer counsel from the law firm of Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller, and University of Pennsylvania School of Law Professor Seth Kreimer.
HARRISBURG, Pa.
Governor Tom Corbett announced today that he will not appeal yesterday's federal court decision striking down Pennsylvania's ban on marriage for same-sex couples. His announcement makes the commonwealth the 19th state to grant same-sex couples the freedom to marry. The case was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, volunteer counsel from the law firm of Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller, and University of Pennsylvania School of Law Professor Seth Kreimer.
"We applaud the governor for letting the constitutional principles of freedom and equality ring throughout Pennsylvania by allowing loving same-sex couples to marry. As the judge noted, we are a better people than the marriage ban and the Governor's historic decision not to appeal will be an enduring legacy." -- Witold Walczak, legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania and Mark Aronchick of Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller.
"This is a milestone for our movement. It reinforces the reality that this isn't a partisan issue. It's about fundamental fairness and dignity for all people, including lesbians and gay men," -- James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project.
More information on this case can be found at: www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/whitewood-v-wolf
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
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