Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 18:18:07 -1000
From: ramsey@math.hawaii.edu (Tom Ramsey)
Subject: HAWAII DEC 19

	JAY SEKULOW LOSES APPEAL BEFORE
	    HAWAII'S SUPREME COURT

	Today, Dec. 19, Hawaii's Supreme Court
issued a Summary Disposition Order that upheld
a lower court ruling concerning 8 legislators
who wanted to be co-defendants with the state of
Hawaii in the court case Baehr v. Miike (the
same gender marriage case).

	The eight legislators sued to have their
own representation in the case other than the
representation provided for the entire State of
Hawaii by the Attorney General's office.  The lower
court rejected this request and the Hawaii Supreme
Court has upheld that rejection.

	Among the eight legislators is Representative
Gene Ward (Republican) who lead Pat Robertson's Campaign
for President in Hawaii.  The attorney for the 8
legislators was Jay Sekulow, who is a close associate
of Pat Robertson's.  In 1997 Sekulow has used Hawaii's
marriage case to raise funds for his own organization.

	This will have been the THIRD Hawaii Supreme
Court ruling on issues related to Baehr v. Miike:
        1.  In 1993, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled
            that denial of marriage licenses was sex
            discrimination subject to the same strict
            legal standards as race, religious, or
            ethnic discrimination.  The Hawaii Supreme
            Court ordered Honolulu Circuit Court to
            hold a trial on whether the state had any
            compelling reasons to justify the discrimination.
	    In December 1996 the Honolulu Circuit Court
            rejected all of the state's arguments, but
            stayed its own ruling pending a final appeal
            by the state to Hawaii's Supreme Court.
        2.  In January, 1996, Hawaii's Supreme Court
            rejected a Mormon request to be codefendants
            in Baehr and made it clear that no church
            could be forced to perform marriages against
            the church's doctrines (e.g., Roman Catholics
            doesn't accept most second marriages although
            most states do recognize them)
	3.  The Jay Sekulow Case
Of course, we all wonder when the Hawaii Supreme Court
will decide the state's appeal of the December 1996
Honolulu Circuit ruling!


			May this news brighten
			your Christmas!

			Tom Ramsey

PS.  All of these round-trips to Hawaii's Supreme Court
take time and money.  To support the court case Baehr
v. Miike, please make a donation to

		Marriage Project Hawaii
		PO Box 11690
		Honolulu, HI 96828

Your donation will be tax-deductible.  Marriage Project
Hawaii pays the fees of attorney Dan Foley, does some
public education and does some limited lobbying.  The
lobbying is limited by IRS rules governing tax-deductible
organizations (501 c 3 organizations).