FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Elizabeth Ray, x130 or Mary Beth Hutchins, x105 at 703-683-5004
JULY 30, 2009

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS RELEASE OF NAMES OF WASHINGTON PETITION SIGNERS
"This is a good first step towards . . . protecting the civil rights of all Americans.”
Brian Brown, executive director, National Organization for Marriage

Princeton, NJ – In a positive move by the U.S. District court in the state of Washington, names of the 138,000 petitioners who are seeking a repeal of the decision to allow same-sex marriage in their state will be prohibited from public release. James Bopp, Jr. of the firm Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom is the lead attorney for the Plaintiffs.

"This is a good first step towards interrupting the un-American campaign of harassment and intimidation by gay rights supporters and protecting the civil rights of all Americans to peacefully participate in the political process without fear," said Brian Brown, executive director of NOM. "Bopp, Coleson and Bostrom are the best lawyers in the country for this kind of case and we are pleased they are defending the rights of Washington voters too."

NOM has not been involved in the Washington state effort to date, but NOM is a party to a similar lawsuit seeking protection for donors to Prop 8 and future marriage battles in California for which Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom are counsel.

The National Organization for Marriage California (NOM California) along with ProtectMarriage.com brought a lawsuit in California in January asking for First Amendment protection in the wake of an unprecedented campaign of personal harassment against Prop 8 supporters. After the state marriage amendment passed by almost 53 percent last November, harassment of Prop 8 supporters began as a result of disclosure laws requiring the posting of names, employers, and addresses of even small donors. Gay marriage advocates even went so far as to post maps targeting the home and business address of hundreds of Prop 8 supporters (http://www.eightmaps.com/). In Washington State, gay rights groups have threatened to do a similar effort, with plans to release the names of signers to the petition on the website www.WhoSigned.org.

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, Executive Director, for the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Elizabeth Ray, eray@crcpublicrelations.com, (x130) or Mary Beth Hutchins, mhutchins@crcpublicrelations.com, (x105) at 703-683-5004.

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