Ruth Bader Ginsburg becomes first SCOTUS member to officiate a gay wedding

Ginsburg conducted the ceremony at the request of her longtime friend, Michael Kaiser

Published September 1, 2013 4:42PM (EDT)

On Saturday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg put on her finest neck doily and made history as the first member of the United States Supreme Court to officiate at a gay wedding.

Ginsburg conducted the ceremony between John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts President Michael M. Kaiser and economist John Roberts, both longtime friends.

“It’s very meaningful mostly to have a friend officiate, and then for someone of her stature, it’s a very big honor,” Kaiser told the Associated Press. “I think that everything that’s going on that makes same-sex marriage possible and visible helps to encourage others and to make the issue seem less of an issue, to make it just more part of life.”

In a Friday statement, Ginsburg called Kaiser “a friend and someone I much admire.”

“That is why I am officiating at his wedding,” she added.

 


By Katie McDonough

Katie McDonough is Salon's politics writer, focusing on gender, sexuality and reproductive justice. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com.

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Gay Marriage Gay Rights Lgbt Rights Marriage Equality Ruth Bader Ginsburg The Notorious Rbg