Google Files Amicus Brief Against Proposition 8

Google has joined Levi Strauss, The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and H5 in a joint Amicus Brief supporting a number of cases that are seeking to overturn California Proposition 8.

An Amicus Brief (Amicus curiae) is a friend of the court petition that refers to someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information on a point of law or some other aspect of the case to assist the court in deciding a matter before it.

Google said in a post that “denying employees basic rights isn’t right, and it isn’t good for businesses. We are committed to preserving fundamental rights for every one of the people who work hard to make Google a success.”

Interestingly though, the Amicus brief argues against Proposition 8 on some interesting grounds. Arguments include:

– Employers facing liability for failure to pay and withhold taxes if same sex marriages are found to be invalid
– Administrative costs and exposure to litigation over employee plans
– a “social and economic” cost on employers and employees

and a range of other tax and cost issues. The brief also argues that Proposition 8 would damage their ability to retain talented employees.

The full brief here (PDF).