The lead plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide will speak at IU next week.
Jim Obergefell sued the state of Ohio in 2013, when his spouse John Arthur died and the state refused to list Obergefell as the surviving spouse on the death certificate.
The couple decided to get married after the Supreme Court struck down a major portion of the Defense of Marriage Act. Although they had been married a little longer than three months when Arthur died from Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to a press release, they had been together for more than 20 years.
Obergefell’s case was considered, along with three others, before the Supreme Court last June.
In its landmark decision, Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of legalizing gay marriage.
In the written decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote about the struggles Obergefell and Arthur faced and how their commitment represented the ideals of all couples in the United States, regardless of gender.
“As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage,” Kennedy wrote in the decision. “Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves.”
Earlier this month, Obergefell was invited to sit with Michelle Obama during the President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address.
“Jim considers himself an accidental activist,” a White House statement said.
“One who became entwined in a political statement larger than himself — a statement of equality and dignity that Americans have been fighting for since this nation’s founding — and he now remains committed to ensuring the civil rights for all Americans.”
On Feb. 2, Obergefell will participate in a conversation at the Maurer School of Law, which will be moderated by associate professor of law Steve Sanders. The conversation will focus on Obergefell’s experiences as a plaintiff throughout the litigation process. The event will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Moot Court Room.
On Feb. 3, Obergefell will speak from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Taylor Telford
