Navigate to News section

RBG Officiates Same-Sex Marriage in D.C.

The Supreme Court star continues her mission forward

by
Gabriela Geselowitz
May 18, 2015
Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks in Washington, D.C, March 18, 2015. (Allison Shelley/Getty Images)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks in Washington, D.C, March 18, 2015. (Allison Shelley/Getty Images)

The Notorious R.B.G. is at it again.

The New York Times reported that Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiated a gay marriage in Washington, D.C. over the weekend. This is not the first time Ginsburg has done so, although she was the first member of the Supreme Court to preside over a same-sex wedding in 2013. (Elena Kagan has also officiated a same-sex marriage, in 2014). But with SCOTUS’s review of same-sex marriage on the horizon, Ginsburg must have known more eyes would be on her for this gesture. So, she took the moment, and ran with it. Reports the Times:

With a sly look and special emphasis on the word ‘Constitution,’ Justice Ginsburg said that she was pronouncing the two men married by the powers vested in her by the Constitution of the United States.

This simple act has led to speculation as to whether she was asserting her already vocal belief in the legality of same-sex marriage, or perhaps hinting at what decision the Court will reach.

In any case, it’s just another day in the life for the jurist, who will soon be the subject of both a new biography, and a biopic starring Natalie Portman.

Also of note is that one of the grooms, Michael Kahn, is artistic director of The Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C. He once spoke in an interview with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum about anti-Semitism and The Merchant of Venice.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this post stated that Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiated at a wedding in Cincinnati.

Gabriela Geselowitz is a writer and the former editor of Jewcy.com.