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- Title
Judicial Narratives & Same-Sex Marriage: Analysis of the Arguments in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health.
- Authors
Kammerer, Edward F.
- Abstract
Storytelling has long been central to the LGBT rights movement. By sharing their personal stories, gays and lesbians help combat preconceptions and misinformation about their community. Through storytelling, gays and lesbians have been able to successfully shape public policy to advance equality for their community. This is true across all branches of government, from grassroots activists through to the justices on the highest courts. This paper examines the storytelling used in Massachusetts in litigating Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, the case that first legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. Storytelling is often seen more as a tool for the political branches, but by examining the litigation in Goodridge, it is clear that storytelling has a place in legal argument as well. In this paper, I examine the briefs filed in the Goodridge case to explore the ways that the litigators utilized story structure and narrative to make the case for same-sex marriage.
- Subjects
GOODRIDGE v. Department of Public Health (Supreme Court case); SAME-sex marriage; FORENSIC orations; STORYTELLING; LGBTQ+ rights
- Publication
New England Journal of Political Science, 2016, Vol 9, Issue 2, p217
- ISSN
1550-1604
- Publication type
Article