Experts:
• M.V. Lee Badgett, expert on same-sex marriage policy issues and professor of economics and director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; key witness during 2010 Calif. Proposition 8 trial Perry v. Schwarzeneggerhttp://www.masspolicy.org/people_faculty_badgett.html
• Paul M. Collins, Jr., expert on the Supreme Court and judicial politics, associate professor of political science and director of the legal studies program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst https://polsci.umass.edu/profiles/collins_paul_m
Available: Via phone, email or on-campus VideoLink ReadyCam studio
Contact:Jared Sharpe – 413-545-3809 / jsharpe[at]umass.eduLee Badgett – 413-545-3162 / lbadgett[at]pubpol.umass.eduPaul M. Collins, Jr. – 413-545-4079 / pmcollins[at]legal.umass.edu
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A pair of experts from the University of Massachusetts Amherst are available to provide comment and analysis regarding Tuesday’s oral arguments to the Supreme Court challenging state bans on same-sex marriage in Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and Kentucky. The court will ultimately decide whether the Constitution requires states to (1) allow same-sex couples to marry, and (2) recognize the marriages of same-sex couples who were legally married in another state.
Same-sex marriage expert M.V. Lee Badgett, professor of economics and director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at UMass Amherst, will be available to discuss the potential social and economic implications of the Supreme Court’s decision on the matter. Badgett is widely cited for her economic analysis of same-sex marriage legalization, and was a key witness during California’s original Prop 8 trial (Perry v. Schwarzenegger) in 2010.
Paul M. Collins, Jr., a leading expert on judicial politics, is available to comment on the factors that shape the decision-making process of U.S. Supreme Court justices and the role that interest groups play in Constitutional litigation such as this. Collins is the author of the books Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings and Constitutional Change (Cambridge University Press, 2013) and Friends of the Supreme Court: Interest Groups and Judicial Decision Making (Oxford University Press, 2008)
Collins says the Court may effectively “punt” on the issue yet again:
“Everyone is looking to Justice Kennedy on this one. The assumption is that the four Democratic justices - Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan – will support striking down same-sex marriage bans and need a fifth vote to do so. Though Kennedy has been friendly to LGBT causes in his past opinions, he proceeds cautiously. The middle ground offered in the case - to let states continue to ban same-sex marriage, but compel them to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states - may be tempting for him. Such a ruling will be sure to frustrate both proponents and opponents of same-sex marriage, who are looking for a definitive ruling on the issue.”
More information about Lee Badgett can be found here, and her recent media coverage can be found here. More information about Paul Collins, including links to his teachings and publications, can be found here.
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