The starting lineup is becoming clear for the Supreme Court’s April 28 oral argument over same-sex marriage.
On Tuesday, capping a quiet competition, advocates challenging state bans on same-sex marriage announced that Mary L. Bonauto will represent the team. Bonauto has been the Civil Rights Project Director at Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders since 1990.
“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,” Bonauto said in a statement, adding that “I believe the Court will give us a fair hearing.”
Bonauto will address one question, whether the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license same-sex marriages. A graduate of Hamilton College and Northeastern University School of Law, Bonauto is a long-time legal strategist but has not previously argued before the Supreme Court.
Douglas Hallward-Driemeier will argue on the second question, whether the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. A DePauw University and Harvard Law School graduate and former Rhodes Scholar, Hallward-Driemeier has argued 14 times before the high court.