One of the most consequential U.S. Supreme Court decisions of the modern era took place 10 years ago, and Cincinnatians were at its center.
Now, Northern Kentucky University's Chase College of Law is holding a symposium Thursday to examine the impact of Obergefell vs. Hodges, the case that affirmed same-sex marriage as a constitutional right.
Cincinnati resident Jim Obergefell was the titular plaintiff in the landmark case. He filed a federal lawsuit challenging Ohio's 2004 constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage so the Maryland marriage between he and his partner John Arthur would be recognized in the Buckeye State.
Obergefell's lead counsel was Cincinnati civil rights attorney Al Gerhardstein. Both will be panelists at the symposium's opening discussion, as will former Ohio Department of Health Director Richard Hodges, the defendant for whom the case takes part of its name.
Other panels throughout the day will feature Chase College of Law faculty and other legal experts from across the country, who will explore connections between the 1st and 14th amendments, reproductive and family rights more broadly, and the future of civil rights in the U.S.
Before Obergefell, states could prohibit marriage between same-sex couples. Chase Law School Dean Judy Daar says about 60,000 same-sex couples in the region have married since Obergefell.
Daar says a whole generation of students have come of age since the ruling granting those couples the right to marry.
"If we think about our students and their age, they essentially grew up with marriage equality as a reality," she said. "And that certainly wasn't true for our faculty and many of us who lived through the advocacy period. We're trying to highlight the positionality of those cohorts."
Daar says one thing attendees will walk away with is a greater understanding of how Supreme Court precedent shifts over time. While we think of decisions by the high court as monumental and permanent, sometimes, they are subject to change.
"There are special reasons why we're acutely cognizant of the potential overturning of the decision," Daar says. She cites the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision striking down Roe v. Wade as an example.
The event takes place Thursday, March 20, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the NKU Student Union Ballroom. You can register at NKU's website and find more information on the panelists and program here.
Read more: