Attorney Mary Bonauto Will Argue Marriage Cases at the Supreme Court

Longtime civil rights advocate and same-sex marriage pioneer will present arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court on the issue of the freedom to marry.

On April 28, attorney Mary Bonauto—a longtime civil rights advocate and same-sex marriage pioneer—will present arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court on the issue of the freedom to marry in cases currently pending before the Court.

Bonauto is the Civil Rights Project Director of the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and spearheaded GLAD's hard work in winning the legal right to marry in Massachusetts in Goodridge v. Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She also won the first federal challenge to the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of that law as unconstitutional.

“I’m humbled to be standing up for the petitioners from Kentucky and Michigan who seek the freedom to marry, along with attorneys Carole Stanyar, Dana Nessel, Ken Mogill, and Robert Sedler, and with support from the other legal teams in Ohio and Tennessee,” said Bonauto in a statement. “The road that we’ve all travelled to get here has been built by so many people who believe that marriage is a fundamental right.  Same-sex couples should not be excluded from the joy, the security, and the full citizenship signified by that institution. I believe the Court will give us a fair hearing, and I look forward to the day when all LGBT Americans will be able to marry the person they love.”

On Bonauto’s role in this momentous battle for nationwide marriage equality, Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, released the following statement: "There is no advocate more fitting to stand before the Supreme Court on behalf of all of us arguing for the freedom to marry than Mary Bonauto. Mary and I have worked for the freedom to marry for 25 years, and she delivered the first win of a freedom to marry state and spearheaded the legal strategy that brought down federal marriage discrimination. Mary's presenting the oral argument caps the compelling collective presentation our movement has made to win marriage nationwide. It's time for the Supreme Court to finish the job."


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