As the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments this week on same-sex marriage case Obergefell v. Hodges, constitutional law experts at Emory are available to comment on the legal ramifications of the case, the current legal landscape and what the court’s decision bodes for the future.   

Robert Schapiro, dean and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law at Emory Law School, says that a federal right to marriage ruling by the Court is likely, and that the Obergefell v. Hodges case is similar to 2013’s United States v. Windsor case, in which the Supreme Court struck down the Federal Defense of Marriage Act.

rschapi@emory.edu, 404-727-0608

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Michael Perry, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Law at Emory Law School, says that thinking back over the past year, Justice Anthony Kennedy’s opinion in the Windsor case—in which he called the federal government’s refusal to acknowledge the legal marriage of same-sex couples demeaning, dehumanizing and demoralizing—virtually decided the issue.

mjperry@emory.edu, 404-712-2086

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Timothy Holbrook, associate dean of the faculty and professor at Emory Law School, says that the public's view of same-sex marriage has kept pace with legal advances for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Holbrook served co-counsel to National Football League players on a brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in Hollingsworth v. Perry, which ultimately restored marriage equality in California.

tholbrook@emory.edu, 404-712-0353