Stewart was nominated by California Governor Jerry Brown last month. Stewart is best known as a pioneer in the battle for marriage equality in California. In 2004, she defended then San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for ordering the city clerk to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.

She was a key player in the case against Proposition 8 as she argued for the City of San Francisco against the state’s discriminatory marriage ban.

Beginning April 16, all proceeds made through any purchases with Tie The Knot will be donated by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband, Justin Mikita, to the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Jesse and Justin are committed advocates for marriage equality. Tie The Knot raises funds to achieve marriage equality through the sale of limited edition bow ties, and the pair has been donating to various organizations since Tie The Knot’s founding.

As AFER gears up for oral arguments in the Bostic case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Jesse and Justin have committed yet again to supporting AFER’s work in hopes of achieving full equality for all Americans.

“We have a lot of work to do before marriage equality is recognized federally, but with your help, AFER will continue its winning legacy across the country. And, when you purchase one of our bow ties, you’ll look really sharp while supporting equal rights for your family, friends, and neighbors.” – Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Visit tietheknot.org to learn more about the organization.

The campaign runs until our Circuit Court hearing on May 13, 2014.

Click here to purchase your new limited edition bow tie and to support equal rights for all Americans.

It all started in California when then Attorney General Jerry Brown refused to defend Prop. 8 in federal Court. His successor, Kamala Harris, continued the State’s stance in AFER’s case, which was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court one year ago this week and resulted in marriage equality being returned to the nation’s most populous states.

In the past year, attorneys general from Oregon to Kentucky have followed suit. Here’s a recap of attorneys general who have joined the side of marriage equality since Jerry Brown and Kamala Harris first took their principled stance:

United States

United States Attorney General Eric Holder announced in 2011 that the federal government would no longer defend the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in court. This position was extended to marriage equality in general when the federal government joined AFER’s case against Prop. 8 when it was before the U.S. Supreme Court in the spring of 2013.

Just two weeks ago, Attorney General Holder said that his state counterparts do not have to defend marriage bans if they think they are unconstitutional.

California

Jerry Brown, then Attorney General at the time, declined to defend California’s marriage ban in federal court. In the case brought by AFER, he filed with the Court that:

“Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification.”

The stance was supported by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and later by current Attorney General Kamala Harris. The official ballot proponents of Prop. 8 defended the initiative and appealed to higher courts. After the Supreme Court ruled they did not have standing, the 2010 Perry decision went into effect, and gay and lesbian couples were able to get married.

Virginia

Less than two weeks after he took office, Attorney General Mark Herring reversed Virginia’s position in the Bostic case, AFER’s federal court challenge.

“As attorney general I cannot and will not defend laws that violate Virginians’ rights. That’s what I have pledged over and over to do, is to put the law and put Virginians first. … It’s about what the law requires here, and we have concluded, I have concluded, that the law here is unconstitutional, and I think the Supreme Court … would find the law unconstitutional,” he said.

The Federal District Court ruled on February 13 that the state’s ban is unconstitutional. The case is being defended in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit by two county clerks and their representation.

Nevada

Following a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that gay and lesbian individuals are entitled to heightened scrutiny in discrimination cases, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto reversed the state’s position. A spokesperson said on February 10.

“After thorough analysis and review, the arguments grounded upon equal protection and due process are no longer sustainable.”

The position is supported by Governor Brian Sandoval, a Republican. The District Court ruling in Sevcik v. Sandoval, which upheld the state ban, is being appealed by attorneys from Lambda Legal. Defendant-intervenor Coalition for the Protection of Marriage will continue to defend the ban.

Illinois

When a lawsuit was filed in Illinois in 2012 challenging the state’s marriage, the very next day Attorney General Lisa Madigan said she would support them. In a 2013 editorial, she said why the ban is indefensible:

“A ban on same-sex marriage violates the state Constitution’s equal protection clause. The law does not allow the state or federal government to create a separate class of marriage based on a person’s sexual orientation. There is no other way to describe this than to call it discrimination.”

Marriage equality legislation will take effect in the state in June, but a federal court ruled that Cook County could begin issuing marriage licenses on February 21. More counties have since followed suit.

Pennsylvania

When her state’s ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples was challenged, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane did not mince words:

“I cannot ethically defend the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s version of DOMA as I believe it to be wholly unconstitutional.”

There are a number of cases currently in Pennsylvania, including Whitewood v. Wolf. A federal court trial will begin June 9.

Oregon

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said her state’s ban on marriage is blatant discrimination in a brief filed with the federal court on February 20, 2014:

“…the ban cannot withstand a federal constitutional challenge under any standard of review.”

The State filed an amended brief with the federal district court in February. The Court has not yet indicated if it will hold a hearing, full trial, or just issue a decision in the case.

New Mexico

New Mexico laws do not explicitly grant or deny gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry. In 2011, Attorney General Gary King issued an opinion saying that out of state marriages would be recognized. When state lawsuits starting piling up seeking the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples, King filed in support:

“New Mexico’s guarantee of equal protection to its citizens demands that same-sex couples be permitted to enjoy the benefits of marriage in the same way and to the same extent as other New Mexico citizens.”

In December 2013, the State Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of marriage equality and gay and lesbian couples were able to get married immediately across the state.

Kentucky

“From a constitutional perspective, Judge Heyburn got it right, and in light of other recent federal decisions, these laws will not likely survive upon appeal. We cannot waste the resources of the Office of the Attorney General pursuing a case we are unlikely to win,” said Attorney General Jack Conway at a press conference on March 4.

The Federal District Court ruled in February that Kentucky must recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples who are married out of state. The decision was stayed pending appeal. Gov. Steve Beshear said shortly after Conway’s announcement that he would appoint outside counsel to defend the law.

The Court has not yet reached a decision on the broader issue of whether the state must allow gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry.

Additional States

Attorneys General Jim Hook in Mississippi, Roy Cooper in North Carolina, and Chris Koster in Missouri have said that while they support marriage equality, they will continue to defend their states’ marriage bans in court.

“If all men and women truly have the inalienable right to pursue happiness, and if all people are created equal, then by extension of law, logic, and love, every adult couple should also have the freedom to join in marriage.”

The declaration comes on the heels of his call to action in the 2012 State of the State address for the Legislature to pass civil unions, which went into effect on January 1, 2013.

Gov. Hickenlooper’s support was echoed by both Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet and Congressmembers Jared Polis, Diana DeGette and Ed Perlmutter as part of the launch of “Why Marriage Matters Colorado,” a joint effort by the groups One Colorado, Freedom to Marry, and the ACLU of Colorado to build support for marriage equality in the Centennial State.

Today Attorney General Eric Holder released a memo that details expanded recognition for married gay and lesbian couples, regardless of where they live.

As long a couple is legally married in a country, state or city with marriage equality, the Justice Department will treat them as legally married. A few applications of this new rule include:

• The right to decline to give testimony that might incriminate their spouse in a federal case.
• The ability to file for bankruptcy jointly.
• Additional privileges for inmates in federal prison, including visitation by a spouse, inmate furloughs to be present during a crisis involving a spouse, escorted trips to attend a spouse’s funeral, correspondence with a spouse, and compassionate release or reduction in sentence based on the incapacitation of an inmate’s spouse.

The memo follows an announcement of these changes at the Human Rights Campaign’s New York Gala, where he gave a stirring speech (full text here and watch the video below):

Just like during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the stakes involved in this generation’s struggle for LGBT equality could not be higher. Then, as now, nothing less than our country’s commitment to the notion of equal protection under the law was on the line. And so the Justice Department’s role in confronting discrimination must be as aggressive today as it was in Robert Kennedy’s time. As Attorney General, I will not let this Department be simply a bystander during this important moment in history.

Following last year’s Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act, federal agencies have issued broad and sweeping rights for married same-sex couples. Legally married gay and lesbian couples, regardless of the state they live, are now able to file taxes jointly, sponsor a partner for citizenship, and more.

Watch the Attorney General’s speech and read his memo below:

Justice Department memo by Chris Geidner

The newly elected attorney general of Virginia, Mark Herring, just announced that he will not defend the state’s ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. He just filed a brief with the court and officially joined AFER’s side of the case.

Send a thank you note to Attorney General Herring right now. Let him know you stand with him.

The Virginia Attorney General’s principled stance comes at a critical time. We have an important hearing next Thursday in federal court. AFER is challenging Virginia’s marriage ban because it is not right for a state to discriminate against anyone, just because of who they love. Ted Olson and David Boies will be there, arguing that the failure of states like Virginia to recognize the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples is unconstitutional. Arguing alongside them will be the Commonwealth of Virginia, sending a powerful message.

By joining AFER’s case and standing on the side of love and equality, Attorney General Herring joins the ranks of elected officials who have stepped up when it mattered most. In AFER’s Prop. 8 case, President Obama and Attorneys General Jerry Brown and Kamala Harris also refused to defend California’s marriage ban.

Let’s make sure Mark Herring knows how many people support his decision to join our case for marriage equality. Send him a thank you note.

More than 30 national polls confirm that a majority of Americans support marriage equality. In Virginia, support is as high as 56%, according to a recent Washington Post poll.

Read the Attorney General’s brief:

“Many Missourians, including myself, are thinking about these issues of equality in new ways and reflecting on what constitutes discrimination. To me, that process has led to the belief that we shouldn’t treat folks differently just because of who they are,” he said at a news conference.

A 2004 state constitutional amendment prevents  gay and lesbian couples from getting married in the state, and the state from recognizing the out of state marriages of gay couples.  Because of this, married same-sex couples will not be able to take advantage state tax benefits given to other married couples.

This will be the first tax-filing since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. All couples who are legally married will be able to file joint tax-returns, regardless of whether their home state recognizes their marriage. Married couples can also amend up to three years of tax returns to seek an additional refund.  This does not apply to couples with a civil union, domestic partnership, or other relationship status.

While emphasizing that his executive order dealt only with tax filing status, Nixon said he would like to see state voters take another look at recognizing same-sex marriage.

“I think if folks want to get married, they should be able to get married,” he said.

Appearing on Meet the Press this Sunday, former Department of Homeland Security secretary and newly installed president of the University of California system Janet Napolitano voiced her support for marriage equality.

“Like many in political and elective life in the early part of this century the evolution hadn’t occurred, and my statements were very much in that way. This was something that society in a way, the arc of history, as it were, needed to get there, and the arc of history has clearly arrived.”

Napolitano is part of a U.S. group of delegates to the Sochi Olympics appointed by President Obama, which includes several LGBT athletes including figure skater Brian Boitano and tennis legend Billie Jean King.

“A lot of people criticized me for speaking out, not long ago, about gay marriage. I could not remain silent any longer. It’s time we stop talking. It’s the civil rights of our day. It’s the issue of our day.”

In an interview with the conservative National Review about a potential presidential run in 2016, he made his support unequivocal:

“On gay marriage, I support it, at both the state level and the federal level. Gay marriage is something I’ve thought about at length as I’ve looked at my future. I concluded, a couple years ago, that I think it should be permissible and treated the same at both levels.

If he seeks the nomination, Bolton will be the first major Republican presidential candidate to support marriage equality.

Bolton joins a growing list of other prominent Republicans, including three sitting U.S. senators, several members of Congress, former governors and a whole host of top-level advisors and political operatives. In advance of the U.S. Supreme Court’s oral argument of AFER’s case against Prop. 8, over 130 conservative leaders—including Mary Bono Mack, James B. Comey, Jon Huntsman, Ken Mehlman, Steve Schmidt, William F. Weld, and Meg Whitman—called on the Court to recognize marriage equality for all by filing an amicus brief in February.