The Lawyer Who Defended Prop 8 Is Now Planning His Daughter's Same-Sex Wedding
About a year ago, attorney Charles Cooper argued for California's Proposition 8 same-sex marriage ban before the Supreme Court. And now, the attorney is helping his own daughter plan her same-sex marriage. Times change.
.About a year ago, attorney Charles Cooper argued for California's Proposition 8 same-sex marriage ban before the Supreme Court. And now, the attorney is helping his own daughter plan her same-sex marriage. Times change.
The Associated Press reported on Cooper's "evolving" views on same-sex marriage, as outlined in a new book about the legal fight over marriage equality in the U.S. Cooper's daughter will marry in Massachusetts this June. In a statement to the AP, Cooper said:
"My daughter Ashley's path in life has led her to happiness with a lovely young woman named Casey, and our family and Casey's family are looking forward to celebrating their marriage in just a few weeks."
He added that their family "is typical of families all across America." The plaintiffs in the Prop 8 case that ultimately resulted in a Supreme Court decision against the ban told the AP that they were "moved" by the Cooper family's "constant love and support of their own daughter," adding, "Some may find this contrast between public and private jarring, but in our opinion, loving an LGBT child unequivocally is the single most important thing any parent can do."
The Cooper family's story will be told in greater detail in Jo Becker's Forcing the Spring: Inside the Fight for Marriage Equality, which comes out next week. Previews of the book have already produced a few headlines this week, however. Notably, the book also details how the Obama administration kind of stumbled into announcing its support of same-sex marriage rights in 2012 — after Vice President Joe Biden said a little more on the subject than they were anticipating.
As it turns out, today was an active day in the ongoing court battle over state-by-state same-sex marriage bans. In Denver, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to Oklahoma's same-sex marriage ban, just a week after the same court considered a similar challenge out of Utah. And in Arkansas, a Pulaski County circuit judge heard arguments in a challenge to that state's same-sex marriage ban. Like Prop 8, Oklahoma, Utah, and Arkansas all have laws on the books banning same-sex marriage after a voter referendum.