OHIO: ACLU Opposes Intervention Of DOMA Attorney Roberta Kaplan

The ACLU has filed an opposition brief to DOMA attorney Roberta Kaplan's request to join the marriage suit against the state of Ohio. Chris Johnson reports at the Washington Blade:

“Plaintiffs-Appellees have the utmost respect for Equality Ohio and the four unmarried couples and their counsel and the important interests they represent,” the brief states. “However, Plaintiffs-Appellees should be entitled to continue to litigate the case that they initiated in July of last year without the disruption and prejudice that would flow from new claims and parties at this late stage.” The ACLU contends Kaplan, who wanted to enter the case to argue that heightened scrutiny protection is warranted on the basis of sexual orientation, is making a claim that plaintiffs say they’ve already asserted. But the ACLU also objects to the new claims presented by Kaplan on the basis that they “have not been addressed by the parties or decided by the District Court.” Further, the ACLU takes issue with the timing of her request to intervene in the case, which was made late last month.

The ACLU's suit seeks recognition of out-of-state marriages on death certificates issued by the state.