When the Ohio Attorney General is sworn into office, he or she takes an oath to protect and defend the United States Constitution. So among many important responsibilities, the Attorney General’s highest duty is to protect and defend the Constitutional rights of Ohioans.
We call upon Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine to uphold this duty and end his outrageous battle to deny Ohioans Jim Obergefell and John Arthur the basic dignity and equal protection they successfully sought as John passed away.
In the summer of 2013, Jim and John were legally married in Maryland. Upon returning to Ohio, Jim and John, who was suffering from ALS, petitioned to have their marriage reflected on John’s pending death certificate.
They won their case on equal protection grounds, and when John passed away a few months later, he did so with his valid Maryland marriage recognized on his death certificate, and Jim listed as his survivor.
Sadly, DeWine has fought John and Jim every step of the way, even as the court found that DeWine “utterly failed” to make his case for the unconstitutional treatment of the Cincinnati couple. Still, DeWine has vowed to rescind their marriage from John’s death certificate—likely more than a year after his death—through an appeal that will play out over the coming year.
What a waste of taxpayer dollars, and what a misuse of an office whose duty is to stand up to—not for—the unconstitutional treatment of Ohioans.
Please sign this petition to call upon Attorney General DeWine to do his duty, uphold the Constitution, and allow Jim and John the dignity and equal treatment they deserve.
Connect with the campaign to elect a progressive Attorney General in Ohio here.