Legal scholar Jason Pierceson will be the featured speaker at Same-Sex Marriage in the United States: The Road to the Supreme Court, at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 22, in Schroeder Hall 130.
The event is free and open to the public.
Pierceson’s presentation will come on the heels of oral arguments heard by the United States Supreme Court concerning two marriage equality cases: United States v. Windsor, which challenges the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and Hollingsworth v. Perry, which seeks to overturn California’s Proposition 8 anti-gay marriage ballot measure. Pierceson will discuss the oral arguments, concerns and questions raised by the justices, and scenarios for how the court might rule (a ruling is expected in June).
Copies of Pierceson’s book Same-Sex Marriage in the United States: The Road to the Supreme Court will be for sale following the presentation.
Pierceson is an associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois – Springfield. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Knox College and a Ph.D. in politics from Brandeis University.
His teaching and research focuses on public law, the legal and political issues relating to sexuality, and political theory. He is the author or co-author of several books on same-sex marriage, including Same-Sex Marriage in the Americas: Policy Innovation for Same-Sex Relationships; Courts, Liberalism and Rights: Gay Law and Politics in the United States and Canada. In 2011, he was the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in American Studies at the University of Alberta.
The program and Pierceson’s visit are being sponsored by the Prairie Pride Coalition; the ISU LGBT/Queer Studies and Services Institute; and the ISU Department of Politics and Government. The event is also made possible by a grant from the Sage Trust.
If you need a special accommodation to fully participate in this program/event, please contact the Institute at lgbtq@IllinoisState.edu. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
