Outlaw looks at marriage equality
The Houston-area plaintiff in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that effectively overturned the nation’s sodomy laws spoke along with his attorney at the University of Houston Law Center. John Lawrence was arrested by a Harris County sheriff’s deputy in 1998 in his apartment while having sex with another man. He challenged the Texas sodomy law under the equal rights and due process protections of the 14th Amendment and won with a 6-3 decision. Joining Lawrence in the discussion were his local counsel in the case, Mitchell Katine, and John Nechman, fellow partners in the firm of Katine & Nechman. The three discussed the status of the Defense of Marriage Act and ramifications of the Obama Administration’s recent decision not to defend the law in court. The discussion, sponsored by OutLaw: Students for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Concerns, was April 29, 2011
