Former Speaker Rick Johnson was joined by at
least 12 other former members of the legislature in signing an amicus brief
that was filed with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday.
The brief asks that the appeals court uphold the decision, by U.S. District Judge
Bernard Friedman, that the 2004 amendment to the state Constitution banning
same-sex marriage is in violation of the equal protection clause of the U.S.
Constitution. Among the former legislators who signed the brief are four former
House members who voted yes on a bill to ban same-sex marriage that was voted
on under Speaker Johnson.
The topic of same-sex marriage is a divisive
issue in the Republican Party now and there are many members who have voiced
displeasure about the signing of the amicus brief. National party committee
member Dave Agema has voiced his opposition to same-sex marriage a multitude of
times and has been joined by members of the party opposing the brief. Richard
McLellan, one of the signers and a longtime influential legal mind in the party,
received backlash on his Facebook post from angry Republicans who claimed that
same-sex marriage is a sin. Attorney General Bill Schuette is appealing the
ruling made by Judge Friedman citing the precedent that the U.S. Supreme Court
put forth on their decision to uphold the 2006 constitutional ban on
affirmative action in Michigan.