Professor Marcosson, Brandeis alums hit media circuit after SCOTUS’ same-sex marriage ruling

Brandeis Professor Sam Marcosson hit the local media circuit June 26 after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide in the Obergefell v. Hodges case.

Marcosson, a Constitutional Law expert, appeared on three different Louisville television news programs (WHAS, WDRB and WAVE) Friday afternoon, saying that the ruling ranks in the upper echelon in the history of U.S. jurisprudence.

“This is a culimination and as far as LGBT rights, this is the most important case,” he said. “We use terms like ‘landmark’ and ‘historic’ when talking about the court’s business and this is right up there among the most famous cases. It will be studied, debated and discussed for a very long time.”

Marcosson was also quoted by a story that appeared on WPTZ.com titled, “How businesses can still discriminate against LGBT people.”

The story provided an overview of discrimination still experienced by gays and lesbians, despite the marriage ruling.  For example, in most states, they can be fired from their jobs or evicted from a rental property. They can also be denied service and credit and excluded from juries in some states. Because of these examples, gay rights advocates are championing federal protection legislation.

"Is discrimination as frequent as was racial discrimination in the Jim Crow era? I don't think so. But it's not difficult to find victims of LGBT discrimination today," Marcosson said.

Additionally, the five attorneys who represented Kentucky’s plaintiffs in the SCOTUS case were also called upon by media sources after the historic ruling. All five – Dan Canon, Dawn Elliott, Joe Dunman, Shannon Fauver, and Laura Landenwich – are graduates of Brandeis School of Law.

“Our clients, and couples like them around the country, are not second-class citizens, and their relationships are not second-tier relationships,” Canon told Insider Louisville.

The attorneys also appeared on WHAS’ Great Day Live Monday morning to discuss the case.

“In the law, you always prepare for the worst and hope for the best and in this case, I think we got the best. It’s the right decision,” Canon said.