The decision leaves intact lower court rulings that the marriage recognition rule requires respect for the out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples. Included in those rulings is the NYCLU's victory in the case Martinez v. County of Monroe, which was decided by the Appelate Division, Fourth Department on Feb. 1, 2008.
In this case,the NYCLU,the American Civil Liberties Union and the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Warton& Garrison LLP filed an amicus brief in the case in support of the families whose benefits were at stake on behalf of the NYCLU, ACLU, Empire State Pride Agenda, Marriage Equality New York, the LGBT Community Center and the Loft.In June, the NYCLU launched www.MarriageNY.com,a website featuring a dozen New York couples explaining why the right to get married matters to them.
And
in our final segment, The ACLU has brought suit on behalf of a New Jersey man
who was illegally detained and mistreated by U.S. officials in Kenya and Ethiopia.
After fleeing hostilities in Somalia in 2006, Amir Meshal was arrested, secretly
imprisoned in inhumane conditions and subjected to harsh interrogations by U.S.
officials over 30 times in three different countries before ultimately being
released four months later without charge.
"It is simply unacceptable that an American citizen in desperate conditions overseas should be so deliberately and egregiously deprived of his constitutional rights by U.S. officials," said Jonathan Hafetz,a staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project.
