Seyfarth Shaw Joins Same-Sex Marriage Amicus Brief in U.S. Supreme Court Case

Inconsistent Marriage Laws Pose Significant Burdens on Employers and Employees

CHICAGO (March 5, 2015) - Seyfarth Shaw LLP has signed on to an amicus curiae brief filed today in the United States Supreme Court. Seyfarth is one of 379 employers and employer organizations urging the High Court to consider the burdens imposed on both employers and employees by a fractured legal landscape with no uniform rule on same-sex marriage. The amicus curiae brief was filed in the Obergefell v. Hodges case, and urges the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a uniform principle that all couples share in the right to marry.

The brief argues that the existing, confused legal landscape places significant burdens on employers and their employees—making it increasingly hard to conduct business. In addition to Seyfarth, other amici range from small, family-owned businesses to Fortune 100 companies, and are evenly distributed across man of the country’s most important industries, including technology, finance, sports, healthcare, and retail.

Standing with employers across the nation, Seyfarth shares a desire to attract and retain a talented workforce. As the brief points out, today most Americans live in jurisdictions where same-sex marriages are recognized. However, the laws of many states continue to prohibit same-sex couples from marrying, and decline to recognize the valid, existing marriages of citizens married to a spouse of the same sex, making it difficult for businesses to thrive. In coordination with our fellow signatories, Seyfarth presents empirical evidence showing the value of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the detrimental effect of the absence of a single, uniform law in this area.

“Seyfarth is proud to stand with our clients, business partners and colleagues in signing on to this brief,” said Laura Maechtlen, co-chair of Seyfarth’s Diversity Action Team Executive Committee. “It raises important issues facing businesses in our diverse international marketplace. We believe that diversity—in terms of people, perspectives and experiences—and inclusion creates more innovative solutions and leads to greater contributions from everyone.”

The full brief is available here.

About Seyfarth Shaw

Seyfarth Shaw has more than 800 attorneys and provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation, corporate and real estate. With offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco, Shanghai, Sydney and Washington, D.C., Seyfarth’s clients include over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies and reflect virtually every industry and segment of the economy. A recognized leader in delivering value and innovation for legal services, Seyfarth’s acclaimed SeyfarthLean client service model has earned numerous accolades from a variety of highly respected third parties, including industry associations, consulting firms and media. For more information, please visit www.seyfarth.com.

Contacts:

Brian Kiefer, Director of Public Relations
(312) 460-6401, bkiefer@seyfarth.com

Martin Grego, Public Relations Manager
(312) 460-6659, mgrego@seyfarth.com