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Brewer Spokesman Attacks Court Over Domestic Partner Ruling

It is not surprising that Governor Jan Brewer and her administration in Arizona are upset over the fact that two courts have now ruled against their attempts to discriminate against lesbian and gay couples. A spokesman for the governor has pretty much indicated that they will appeal the latest ruling against them. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that “when a state chooses to provide such benefits, it may not do so in an arbitrary or discriminatory manner that adversely affects particular groups that may be unpopular.”

Brewer’s spokesman, Matt Benson, told a reporter that “It seems apparent that the court’s real motivation here is for the legalization of gay marriage. The governor stands with the majority of Arizonans who overwhelmingly in 2008 defined marriage as between one man and one woman.”

He also said “This ruling is pretty much standard fare for the 9th Circuit. The decision flies in the face of both logic and the law.”

Of course, part of the problem is the fact that Arizona basically tried to say that it was necessary to take away these domestic partner benefits because they said so and not because of anything that they could prove. In many ways, this is the same problem that the Prop 8 guys faced in their trial. They had no evidence. In fact, it is estimated that cutting off same-sex partner benefits saves the state of Arizona no more than $1.8 million a year, but even that is hard to peg.

The state of Arizona did not actually prove to the courts how much the benefits cost or how much eliminating them would save.