ILLINOIS: Hate Group Petitions To Defend Cook County Marriage Equality Suits

The Illinois Family Association, former home of Peter LaBarbera, has petitioned the Cook County Circuit Court in a bid to be added as a defender against two marriage equality suits filed earlier this year by the ACLU and Lambda Legal. The Thomas More Society, which has already been granted standing to defend against both suits, issued this press release today:

IFI, represented by John Mauck of the Chicago law firm Mauck & Baker, as well as Bryan Beauman of the Lexington, Kentucky office of the Alliance Defending Freedom ("ADF"), petitioned the Court for permission to join the downstate County Clerks as additional intervenors in the lawsuit, to bolster and reinforce the Thomas More Society's defense of Illinois' homosexual marriage ban.

A briefing schedule was set as follows: IFI's motion to intervene will be due on August 20. Opposing counsel's reply brief will be due on August 30. Oral arguments on IFI's motion to intervene are set for September 27 at 10:30 a.m., in the Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago, Courtroom 2301. The Catholic Conference's amicus brief is due August 27.

Responses to the County Clerk intervenors' motion to dismiss the consolidated lawsuits filed by the ACLU and Lambda Legal as legally meritless are due September 24. The Thomas More Society's reply on behalf of the County Clerk intervenors will be due October 24. The hearing on the Thomas More Society's motions to dismiss, previously set for September 27, will be rescheduled later.

The Illinois governor and the Attorney General both refused to defend the suits. Two downstate county clerks won the right to intervene and are being represented by the Thomas More Society.