The Respectable Dignity of Obergefell v. Hodges

9 Pages Posted: 12 Feb 2016

See all articles by Yuvraj Joshi

Yuvraj Joshi

Brooklyn Law School; UCLA Promise Institute of Human Rights; UC Berkeley Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law; University of British Columbia (UBC), Faculty of Law

Date Written: 2015

Abstract

In declaring state laws that restrict same-sex marriage unconstitutional, Justice Kennedy invoked “dignity” nine times — to no one’s surprise. References in Obergefell to “dignity” are in important respects the culmination of Justice Kennedy’s elevation of the concept, dating back to the Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In Casey, “dignity” expressed respect for a woman’s freedom to make choices about her pregnancy. Casey laid the foundation for Lawrence v. Texas, which paved the path for United States v. Windsor and later Obergefell. But, the “dignity” of Obergefell is not the “dignity” of Casey. This Essay demonstrates how Obergefell shifts dignity’s focus from respect for the freedom to choose toward the respectability of choices and choice makers. As importantly, I show that Obergefell’s reasoning inflicts its own dignitary harms. Put together, Obergefell disregards the idea that different forms of loving and commitment might be entitled to equal dignity and respect.

Keywords: gay marriage, same-sex marriage, marriage equality, respectability, dignity, LGBT, Obergefell

Suggested Citation

Joshi, Yuvraj, The Respectable Dignity of Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). California Law Review Circuit, Vol. 6, 2015, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2731020

Yuvraj Joshi (Contact Author)

Brooklyn Law School ( email )

250 Joralemon Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
United States

UCLA Promise Institute of Human Rights ( email )

UC Berkeley Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law ( email )

215 Law Building
Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States

University of British Columbia (UBC), Faculty of Law ( email )

1822 East Mall
Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1
Canada

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
194
Abstract Views
1,439
Rank
321,261
PlumX Metrics