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Legal challenge advances against Seattle mayor's homosexual-friendly policies

The mayor of Seattle is being challenged this week in the Washington Court of Appeal over his recognition of same-sex "marriage."



Three years ago, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels issued an executive order recognizing same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions for the purposes of employee benefits. The mayor's action came despite the fact that voters in his state had already approved a Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Brad Dacus is president of the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), which presented oral arguments in the case back in 2004 and argued that Nickels' actions conflicted with the DOMA.

"It's a very important case because we're dealing with the ability for the will of the people, through their legislature, to be respected when it comes to passing laws," Dacus explains, adding it is just as important that the Seattle mayor realize that he has to obey laws and "cannot just come up with his own definition of marriage."

The PJI attorney says the people of the State of Washington have made it clear to the legislature that marriage is to be defined as the union of one man and one woman. No one, including the mayor of Seattle, has a special exemption to not abide by the law, he adds.

The case against Mayor Nickels had been held up for nearly two years while the Washington Supreme Court considered the constitutionality of the state DOMA. Last summer the high court upheld the DOMA, thus allowing the case to proceed.