A total of 379 companies, including Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and Google, have joined together to urge the Supreme Court to rule in favor of blanketed nationwide support for marriage equality (via The Verge).

The companies filed an amicus brief yesterday, represented by law firm Morgan Lewis, in the on-going Obergefell v. Hodges case, wherein two men are arguing that the state of Ohio discriminates against legal out-of-state same-sex marriages. Apple, along with the 378 other companies, angled towards a business-focused case for supporting every couple's right to marry.

Apple Pride

Apple at the 44th Annual Pride Parade in San Francisco

The brief claims that due to "a fractured legal landscape with no uniform rule on same-sex marriage", both employees and employers face increasingly burden-filled relationships, making it difficult to conduct proper business practices. The coterie of companies isn't represented by just well-known tech companies, but small family-owned businesses and other big non-tech brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, and United Airlines, as well.

“The competition for top talent crosses state and even national borders. State laws that prohibit same-sex marriage make it harder for businesses to recruit and retain talented employees,” says Morgan Lewis Partner Susan Baker Manning, counsel of record on the brief. “The patchwork of inconsistent state marriage laws makes it challenging and more costly for employers to administer benefits systems when some employees are unable to marry, and other employees’ marriages are not recognized by the state. This burdens businesses by costing them both time and money.”

Obergefell v. Hodges will enter the Supreme Court in April, and is one of a few others it will hear regarding the marriage equality issue. The main issue expected to be covered is whether the Constitution protects all same-sex couples in their right to marry regardless of their state, or if individual states will retain the right to prohibit gay marriage.

Apple has, unsurprisingly, voiced support for same-sex marriage in the past and marched in pride parades in San Francisco, with CEO Tim Cook coming out as gay in a letter written to Bloomberg Businessweek just last October. Most recently, last December the company voiced support in naming a proposed bill in Alabama after the Apple CEO that would focus on anti-discrimination in regards to sexual orientation in the work place. Currently, there are 36 states, and Washington, D.C., that support gay marriage.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Top Rated Comments

jonblatho Avatar
114 months ago
Good on Apple for being on the right side of history.

I can't wait for the days when a thread like this won't have to be in PRSI.
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yg17 Avatar
114 months ago
Says the guy with the offensive signature. You'd never say that about Islam, would you?
What's so offensive about my signature?

Jesus was not born in the US: Check
Jesus was dark skinned: Check
Jesus preached peace and nonviolence: Check
Jesus healed the sick: Check

My signature is making fun of birthers and the morons who scream about President Obama being a socialist. And it's quite complimentary towards Jesus. I fail to see how it's offensive.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tycho24 Avatar
114 months ago
Good on Apple for being on the right side of history.

I can't wait for the days when a thread like this won't have to be in PRSI.

Hear hear!
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BillyBobBongo Avatar
114 months ago
Good on Apple for being on the right side of history.

I can't wait for the days when a thread like this won't have to be in PRSI.

I wish I could up-vote this more than just once! :D
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yg17 Avatar
114 months ago
Time to go get the popcorn, pro marriage equality threads on the front page always seem to attract the nuts.

I guess with Apple, Microsoft and Google all supporting marriage equality, the bigots who refuse to support companies who support equality will have to get rid of their phones and computers. Their stone age technology will go great with their stone age beliefs.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Technarchy Avatar
114 months ago
Now they need to start marching for 2GB of RAM in the iPhone.

Lord knows progress is needed there.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple card 1

Apple Ending Apple Card Partnership With Goldman Sachs

Tuesday November 28, 2023 3:09 pm PST by
Apple is ending its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple plans to stop working with Goldman Sachs in the next 12 to 15 months, and it is not yet clear if Apple has established a new partnership for the Apple Card. Apple and Goldman Sachs will dissolve their entire consumer partnership, including the Apple Card and the Apple Savings account....
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.2 Beta 4

Tuesday November 28, 2023 12:18 pm PST by
Apple is wrapping up development on iOS 17.2, with the update expected to come out in December. While we're getting to the end of the beta testing period, Apple is still tweaking features and adding new functionality. We've rounded up everything new in the fourth beta of iOS 17.2. Default Notification Sound Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to ...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.1.2 With Security Fixes

Thursday November 30, 2023 10:12 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2, small updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating systems that Apple introduced in September. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 come a few weeks after the release of iOS 17.1.1, another bug fix update. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update....
Apple 5G Modem Feature Triad

Apple to Discontinue Custom 5G Modem Development, Claim Reports

Wednesday November 29, 2023 4:19 am PST by
Apple is discontinuing in-house modem development after several unsuccessful attempts to perfect its own custom 5G modem chip, according to unconfirmed reports coming out of Asia. According to the operator of news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog, supply chain sources related to Apple's 5G modem departments claim that the company's attempts to develop its own modem have...
All New CarPlay Five New Features Article 2

What to Expect From All-New CarPlay, Still Listed as Coming 'Late 2023'

Tuesday November 28, 2023 7:44 am PST by
At WWDC in June 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, increased personalization, and more. Apple's website still says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in "late 2023," but it has not shared...
Apple Logo

Apple Discontinued These 5 Products This Year

Monday November 27, 2023 7:03 am PST by
As the end of 2023 nears, now is a good opportunity to look back at some of the devices and accessories that Apple discontinued throughout the year. Apple products discontinued in 2023 include the iPhone 13 mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro, MagSafe Battery Pack, MagSafe Duo Charger, and leather accessories. Also check out our lists of Apple products discontinued in 2022 and 2021. iPhone Mini ...
iOS 17

iOS 17.1.2 Update for iPhone Likely to Be Released This Week

Monday November 27, 2023 8:24 am PST by
Apple will likely release iOS 17.1.2 this week, based on mounting evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs in recent days. As a minor update, iOS 17.1.2 should be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues might be addressed. Some users have continued to experience Wi-Fi issues on iOS 17.1.1, so perhaps iOS 17.1.2 will include the same fix for Wi-Fi...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...