Hon. Steven H. Levinson to Receive Award for Distinguished Service, Work on Discrimination in Marriage Laws

20 July 2006

As the author of the plurality opinion in Baehr v. Lewin, the Honorable Steven H. Levinson, Associate Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, gained widespread attention in 1993 as the first judge to state that it is discriminatory under law to exclude same-sex couples from marrying. In recognition of his landmark opinion and his commitment to fairness beyond the bench, the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA) will present Justice Levinson the "Allies for Justice Award" at the 2006 annual meeting of the American Bar Association (ABA) on Aug. 4, 2006 in Hawaii.

Partnering in the award presentation at the Hawaii Village Beach Resort will be the ABA's Section for Individual Rights and Responsibilities. The award also recognizes Justice Levinson's outstanding commitment to civil rights for all Americans.

Justice Levinson received widespread attention in 1993 as the author of the plurality opinion in Baehr v. Lewin. The Hawaii Supreme Court was the first American court to hold that it is sex discrimination to exclude same-sex couples from marriage without a compelling state interest. Justice Levinson has a long and distinguished record of service to the bar, having served as president of the Hawaii State Bar Association and of its Young Lawyers Division.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Justice Levinson graduated with distinction from Stanford University in 1968. He received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1971. Levinson served as a clerk to the late Justice Bernard H. Levinson of the Hawaii Supreme Court. From 1972 to 1989, he was in private practice with the Honolulu law firms of Schutter, Levinson and O'Brien and Damon, Key, Bocken, Leong and Kupchak. In February 1989, Hawaii Governor John D. Waihee III appointed Justice Levinson to the Hawaii First Circuit Court. While on the circuit court, Justice Levinson served on the Hawaii State Judiciary's Committee on AIDS Policy and the Standing Committee on Pattern Criminal Jury Instructions. Governor Waihee appointed Levinson to the Hawaii Supreme Court in March 1992. He has served as an Associate Justice since April 1992 and began his second ten-year term in February 2002.

The NLGLA "Allies Award" honors a legal professional who, in his or her position of leadership, has allied with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to make a noteworthy contribution in the struggle for civil rights and equality before the law.

Past Allies Award winners include Professor Harold H. Koh, Dean of Yale Law School; United States Representative John Lewis of Georgia; United States Senator Charles Robb of Virginia; and Governor Parris N. Glendening of Maryland.

---

The National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA) is a national association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals, law students, activists, and affiliated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender legal organizations. NLGLA promotes justice in and through the legal profession for the LGBT community in all its diversity. For more information on the 2006 Allies for Justice Award, call NLGLA at 202-637-6384 or visit http://www.nlgla.org.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Source: usnewswire

All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.