Minneapolis (4-20-04): -- The Board of Directors of the Hennepin County Bar Association, at their April meeting, took a stand to oppose any efforts to amend either the state or federal constitutions to ban same sex marriages.

     The adopted resolution, recommended by the association’s diversity committee, states:  Resolved: that the Hennepin County Bar Association opposes any effort to amend the Minnesota Constitution to forbid the creation of legally-recognized relationships between persons of the same sex; and be it further resolved that the Hennepin County Bar Association opposes any effort to amend the United States Constitution to forbid the creation of legally-recognized relationships between persons of the same sex.

     The Hennepin County Bar Association is the largest of Minnesota's 21 county bar associations and represents over 8,000 members. The association is a private, non-profit organization that provides a wide range of services to the profession and supports many free or low-cost services to the public.

     Recognizing the controversial nature of this issue in both the general population and the association’s membership, HCBA President John Dornik stated: "Individuals on both sides of this issue have strongly held personal beliefs, which our association respects. The board’s action reflects a concern about the appropriateness and necessity of a constitutional amendment to accomplish its proponents’ objectives."

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HCBA President John Dornik is available for interviews. Please contact Duane Stanley at 
(612) 752-6611.