Alumna speaks about marriage equality case at Wayne Law

Dana Nessel, the principal lawyer in the Michigan case that was part of the U.S. Supreme Court decision holding unconstitutional the ban against same-sex marriage, spoke Monday, Nov. 16, at Wayne State University Law School. Nessel, Wayne Law Class of 1994, discussed the arguments, strategy and outcome of DeBoer v. Snyder. Nessel - with co-counsel Wayne Law Adjunct Professor Kenneth Mogill, Wayne Law Distinguished Professor Robert Sedler and attorney Carole Stanyar - originally filed the suit in federal district court on behalf of lesbian couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse of Hazel Park, challenging Michigan's ban on adoption by same-sex couples. The suit was amended to challenge the state's ban on same-sex marriage. The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it was part of the decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, giving same-sex couples the same right to legally wed as opposite-sex couples. Nessel, along with her co-counsel on DeBoer, was honored with the "Champion of Justice" award by the Michigan State Bar Association. Published: Fri, Nov 20, 2015