Jim Obergefell, the named plaintiff in
the Supreme Court case that struck down state bans limiting marriage
to heterosexual couples, said in an interview that he's “devastated”
by Justice Anthony Kennedy's decision to retire from the bench.
Kennedy authored majority opinions in
four key cases on LGBT rights, including Obergefell and
Lawrence, which struck down state sodomy laws in the United
States.
Appearing on CNN's New Day on
Thursday, Obergefell said that he worried about what the news means
for same-sex marriage in the United States.
“I don't think devastated is too
strong a word to describe how I feel,” Obergefell
said. “I'm actually feeling somewhat despondent about what
this means for the LGBTQ community and marriage for millions of
Americans.”
While President Donald Trump has said
that he's “fine” with the Obergefell ruling, calling it
“settled law,” he's also said that he supports “traditional
marriage” and has pledged to pack the court with conservative
judges.
“He says one thing one day and says
the exact opposite the next day,” Obergefell said of the
president's views on marriage equality. “I have to believe that
there are people behind him pushing him that will force this issue
and bring this back up for a vote or for a hearing, and that really
concerns me.”
He added that as a gay man, he
respected Kennedy, “because he seemed to interpret the law with
compassion.”
(Related: Gay
marriage foes predict Anthony Kennedy retirement will lead to
Obergefell
reversal.)