Supreme Court Grants Review in Lambda Legal Marriage Case

Washington (January 16, 2015) – The U.S. Supreme Court today announced it has granted review of all six marriage equality cases decided by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, including two Ohio cases  litigated by Lambda Legal, the ACLU and Gerhardstein & Branch. The two cases are Henry v. Hodges, where Lambda Legal joined Gerhardstein & Branch, and Obergefell v. Hodges, where the ACLU joined Gerhardstein & Branch. Oral argument is expected to take place later this year.

The Court also granted review in DeBoer v. Snyder, a Michigan case litigated by private counsel and Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Bourke v. Beshear and Love v. Beshear, Kentucky cases litigated by private counsel and the ACLU, and Tanco v. Haslam, a Tennessee case litigated by private counsel and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR).

“After years of struggle and the dedicated work of thousands across the movement, we are finally within sight of the day when same-sex couples across the country will be able to share equally in the joys, protections and responsibilities of marriage,” said Jon W. Davidson, Legal Director and Eden/Rushing Chair at Lambda Legal. “While these cases will carry the marriage standard before the Supreme Court, they represent literally dozens of cases in state and federal courts nationwide and the collective effort of Lambda Legal, NCLR, the ACLU, GLAD, and other sister LGBT groups and private (often pro-bono) counsel dating back years.”

“From the early stirrings in Hawai`i in 1993 to the critical victories in Massachusetts, California, Iowa, and New Jersey to the breath-taking triumphs of recent months, we all can take pride in what together we have accomplished,” Davidson added.

The Supreme Court’s action is the latest chapter in the history of the battle for the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in the United States. It follows the avalanche of state court, U.S. district court and U.S. appellate court rulings striking down discriminatory state marriage bans dating back to the historic 2013 Supreme Court ruling in U.S. v. Windsor that declared the core provision of the so-called federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional.

Information about Henry v. Hodges is available here: http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/henry-v-himes.  Information about pending marriage cases and the rulings issued since the Windsor decision is available here: http://www.lambdalegal.org/pending-marriage-equality-cases