Answer Concludes Briefing, Sets Stage for Oral Arguments in Constitutional Challenge to Marriage Laws that Discriminate Against Gay and Lesbian Couples
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera was at the forefront of the legal battle for marriage equality in California for nearly a decade. He filed the first government-initiated challenge to marriage laws that discriminate against same-sex couples in American history, and his office holds the unique distinction of being the only legal team involved as a party in aspect of the legal fight in California — in every case, in every court, before every judge — from early 2004 to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark rulings in June 2013. From defending Mayor Gavin Newsom’s decision to issue same-sex marriage licenses in February 2004, Herrera’s office went on to successfully sue to strike down the anti-gay marriage exclusion in state courts, and continued to represent the public sector interest in striking down Proposition 8 in the successful federal challenge alongside the American Foundation for Equal Rights.