ARIZONA: Gov. Jan Brewer Asks SCOTUS To Overturn Health Benefits For Partners

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that allows state employees to place their same-sex partners on their health insurance. Chris Geidner reports:

After the 2011 decision, lawyers for the state asked the Ninth Circuit to re-hear the case en banc, or by an 11-judge panel. On April 3, the Ninth Circuit denied the request, starting the 90-day clock for the governor to file a petition for a writ of certiorari asking the Supreme Court to take the case. The Ninth Circuit ruling, which upheld a trial-court ruling, kept an Arizona law from going into effect that, as the appeals court held, “would have terminated eligibility for health-care benefits of state employees’ same-sex partners.” Paula S. Bickett, the chief counsel for Civil Appeals in Arizona Attorney General’s Tom Horne (R)’s office, is the counsel of record for the Gov. Brewer. Lambda Legal is representing the plaintiff couples, who have until August 6 to submit their response to the governor’s petition.