SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined four other religious organizations to file a “friend of the court” brief in the appeal of Amendment 3.
According to a statement from the LDS Church, The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Association of Evangelicals, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod filed the brief collectively.
Click here to read a statement from the LDS Church regarding the filing.
In comments to FOX 13 on January 9, an LDS Church spokeswoman said they were “not currently planning” to get involved in the Amendment 3 case.
The LDS Church came under heavy criticism for its involvement in California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in that state. It was overturned by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year.
Amicus curiae briefs were also filed Monday by The Sutherland Institute [PDF] and a collection of 16 Utah Counties [PDF].
On Dec. 20, 2013, a federal judge in Salt Lake City declared Utah’s Amendment 3 — which defines marriage as between a man and a woman and doesn’t recognize anything else — unconstitutional. After that ruling, more than 1,300 same-sex couples wed in Utah until the U.S. Supreme Court halted it pending the appeal.
An amicus curiae brief can be filed by any individual or organization who, while not a party to a particular case, wishes to advise the court on matters pertaining to the case.
