News Story

In a year in which he won an historic victory followed quickly by a legislative backlash, Shannon Price Minter ’93 has been named one of six Lawyers of the Year by Lawyers USA, a list which also includes Barack Obama. Minter, the legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, is being honored for his work winning the case in the California Supreme Court that legalized same-sex marriage on June 16, 2008.

The court decision was followed instantly by jubilation in the LGBT community, and no less quickly by activists in California who organized Proposition 8, legislation that amended the California constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Proposition 8 was passed on November 4, 2008, but in the interim, more than 18,000 gay and lesbian marriages were performed (including one in which Minter himself officiated).

Minter is now focused on a response to Proposition 8. NCLR, joined by the ACLU and Lambda Legal, filed a writ petition with the California Supreme Court on November 5, 2008, seeking to invalidate Proposition 8 on the basis that the California constitution does not permit the fundamental constitution rights of a minority to be stripped by a simple majority vote. Oral arguments could be heard as early as March 2009.

“Along with Shannon's sharp mind and strong intellect, he has a real gift for engaging people in a very friendly and non-threatening way,” says Karen Comstock, Assistant Dean for Public Service. “I have a deep admiration and respect for Shannon.”

Minter adds his award to an already large collection, including accolades from the Ford Foundation, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, GAYLAW, Cornell Law School, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, the San Francisco Bar Association, and Equality California. He also was awarded an honorary degree from the City University of New York School of Law.