Three Minnesota Fortune 500 companies are urging the United State Supreme Court to rule in favor of marriage equality. General Mills, Inc., St. Jude Medical, Inc., and Target Corporation are among 379 employers who filed a brief with the court. Other companies with large operations in Minnesota that have signed on to the brief include Thomson Reuters, Wells Fargo, and Boston Scientific.

The brief states, in part:

As employers, amici know firsthand that this fractured legal landscape hampers economic growth and impedes innovation by forcing businesses to work harder, and invest more, to achieve the same return on our investments. Inconsistent marriage laws force companies to divert significant time and money to the creation and maintenance of complex administrative systems needed to differentiate treatment of otherwise indistinguishable employees based on the different marriage laws of the places where they live. These differences can create rifts in the employer employee relationship. Employers are better served by a uniform marriage rule that gives equal dignity to employee relationships. Allowing same-sex couples to marry improves employee morale and productivity, reduces uncertainty, and removes the wasteful administrative burdens imposed by the current disparity of state law treatment.

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee on April 28. The court will be deciding whether or not states can ban same-sex marriage, and if such bans violate the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.