Edited American Appellate Cases
Adjudicating Lesbian and Gay Rights Claims
Arranged by Year
1978
DiStefano v. DiStefano, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
1981
Doe v. Doe, Virginia Supreme Court
Florida Board of Bar Examiners Re: N.R.S., Florida Supreme Court
Jacobson v. Jacobson, North Dakota Supreme Court
Nemetz v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Van Ooteghem v. Gray, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
1982
State v. Lovely, Maine Supreme Judicial Court
1983
Curran v. Mount Diablo Council of the Boy Scouts of America, California Court of Appeal
Marriage of Cabalquinto, Washington Supreme Court
People v. Uplinger, New York Court of Appeals
1984
Adoption of Robert Paul P., New York Court of Appeals
Brown v. Johnson, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
De Santo v. Barnsley, Pennsylvania Superior Court
Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
National Gay Task Force v. Board of Education of the City of Oklahoma City, U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
Rolon v. Kulwitzky, California Court of Appeal
1985
Hinman v. Department of Personnel Administration, California Court of Appeal
Logan v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., Alabama Supreme Court
Loring v. BellSouth Advertising & Publishing Corporation, Georgia Court of Appeals
1986
Bowers v. Hardwick, U.S. Supreme Court
Guardianship of Kowalski, Minnesota Court of Appeals
Joachim v. AT&T Information Systems, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Potter v. LaSalle Court Sports & Health Club, Minnesota Supreme Court
1987
Coon v. Joseph, California Court of Appeal
Gay Inmates of Shelby County Jail v. Barksdale, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Padula v. Webster, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
Stroman v. Williams, South Carolina Court of Appeals
Thigpen v. Carpenter, Arkansas Court of Appeals
Woy v. Woy, Missouri Court of Appeals
1988
State ex rel. Human Services Department, New Mexico Court of Appeals
Whorton v. Dillingham, California Court of Appeal
1989
Braschi v. Stahl Associates Company, New York Court of Appeals
Watkins v. U.S. Army, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
1990
Adoption of Charles B., Ohio Supreme Court
Curiale v. Reagan, California Court of Appeal
High Tech Gays v. Defense Indus. Sec. Clearance Office, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
1991
Dignity Twin Cities v. Newman Center and Chapel, Minnesota Court of Appeals
Gajovski v. Gajovski, Ohio Court of Appeals
Guardianship of Kowalski, Minnesota Court of Appeals
Hayes v. Smith, Colorado Court of Appeals
R.E.G. v. L.M.G., Indiana Court of Appeals
Soroka v. Dayton Hudson Corporation, California Court of Appeal
State v. Hadinger, Ohio Court of Appeals
1992
Chicoine v. Chicoine, South Dakota Supreme Court
Dillon v. Frank, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
1993
Adoption of Swanson, Delaware Supreme Court
Adoption of Tammy, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Baehr v. Lewin, Hawai’i Supreme Court
City of Dallas v. England, Texas Court of Appeals
Engel v. Worthington, California Court of Appeal
Matter of Cooper, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Seward v. Mentrup, Ohio Court of Appeals
1994
Allen v. State, Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals
Angel Lace M. v. Terry M., Wisconsin Supreme Court
Hanke v. Safari Hair Adventure, Minnesota Court of Appeals
Lloyd v. Grella, New York Court of Appeals
Ross v. Denver Department of Health and Hospitals, Colorado Court of Appeals
Steffan v. Perry, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
Thomas S. v. Robin Y., New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
1995
Baluyut v. Superior Court, California Court of Appeal
Borquez v. Ozer, Colorado Court of Appeals
Bottoms v. Bottoms, Virginia Supreme Court
City of Atlanta v. McKinney, Georgia Supreme Court
Custody of H.S.H.-K., Wisconsin Supreme Court
deParrie v. City of Portland, Oregon Court of Appeals
Greenwood v. Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, Ohio Court of Appeals
Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, U.S. Supreme Court
Matter of Jacob, New York Court of Appeals
1996
Christensen v. State, Georgia Supreme Court
Evans v. May, Texas Court of Appeals
Nabozny v. Podlesny, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Romer v. Evans, U.S. Supreme Court
State v. City of Madison, Wisconsin Court of Appeals
Thomas v. Thomas, Virginia Court of Appeals
Thomasson v. Perry, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
1997
City of Atlanta v. Morgan, Georgia Supreme Court
Ireland v. Davis, Kentucky Court of Appeals
J.B.F. v. J.M.F., Alabama Court of Civil Appeals
Posik v. Layton, Florida District Court of Appeal
Rucks v. State, Florida District Court of Appeal
Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters v. Rutgers, The State University, New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division
Shahar v. Bowers, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Stemler v. City of Florence, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
1998
Collins v. Faith School District, South Dakota Supreme Court
Ex Parte D.W.W., Alabama Supreme Court
Ex Parte J.M.F., Alabama Supreme Court
Piatt v. Piatt, Virginia Court of Appeals
Powell v. State, Georgia Supreme Court
Raum v. Restaurant Associates, Inc., New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
State v. Pattno, Nebraska Supreme Court
Tanner v. Oregon Health Sciences University, Oregon Court of Appeals
Welfare of G.A.S., Minnesota Court of Appeals
1999
Baker v. State, Vermont Supreme Court
E.N.O. v. L.M.M., Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Estate of Reaves v. Owen, Mississippi Court of Appeals
Marriage of Weisbruch, Illinois Appellate Court
Mitchell v. Moore, Pennsylvania Superior Court
Petition of C.M.A., Illinois Appellate Court
Plaxico v. Michael, Mississippi Supreme Court
State of Ohio Metroparks v. Lasher, Ohio Court of Appeals
Weigand v. Houghton, Mississippi Supreme Court
2000
Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, U.S. Supreme Court
Hernandez-Montiel v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
LaChapelle v. Mitten, Minnesota Court of Appeals
Lapides v. Trabbic, Maryland Court of Special Appeals
Marriage of Kraft, Iowa Court of Appeals
People v. Garcia, California Court of Appeal
Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis v. City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Court of Appeals
Simonton v. Runyon, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Sterling v. Borough of Minersville, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
Vasquez v. Hawthorne, Washington Court of Appeals
2001
Knight v. Connecticut Department of Public Health, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Levin v. Yeshiva University, New York Court of Appeals
2002
Doe v. Burkland, Rhode Island Supreme Court
State v. Thompson, Ohio Supreme Court
2003
Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Lawrence v. Texas, U.S. Supreme Court
2004
Lofton v. Secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Opinions of the Justices to the Senate, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Peterson v. Hewlett-Packard Co., U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
2005
K.M. v. E.G., California Supreme Court
State of Kansas v. Limon, Kansas Supreme Court
2006
Department of Human Services v. Howard, Supreme Court of Arkansas
Miller-Jenkins v. Miller-Jenkins, Court of Appeals of Virginia
2007
Jones v. Barlow, Utah Supreme Court
State of Ohio v. Carswell, Supreme Court of Ohio
2008
In re Marriage Cases, California Supreme Court
Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, Connecticut Supreme Court
National Pride at Work, Inc. v. Governor of Michigan, Michigan Supreme Court
North Coast Women's Care Medical Group, Inc. v. Superior Court, California Supreme Court
2009
Giancaspro v. Congleton, Michigan Court of Appeals
Patterson v. Hudson Areas Schools, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Prowel v. Wise Business Forms, Inc., U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
2010
Boseman v. Jarrell, North Carolina Supreme Court
Florida Department of Children and Families v. In re: Matter of Adoption of X.X.G. and N.R.G., Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District
In the Matter of the Marriage of J.B. and H.B., Court of Appeals of Texas, Fifth District
2011
Adar v. Smith, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Christiansen v. Christiansen, Wyoming Supreme Court
In re Divorce of Naylor and Daly, Court of Appeals of Texas, Third District
Keeton v. Anderson-Wiley, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
2012
Dixon v. University of Toledo, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Massachusetts v. United States Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
Perry v. Brown, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Yonaty v. Mincolla, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
2013
Elane Photography, LLC v. Willock, New Mexico Supreme Court
United States v. Windsor, U.S. Supreme Court
2014
Appling v. Walker, Wisconsin Supreme Court
Baskin v. Bogan, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
2015
Obergefell v. Hodges, U.S. Supreme Court
2016
In the Matter of Brooke S.B. v Elizabeth A.C.C., New York Court of Appeals
2017
Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Pavan v. Smith, U.S. Supreme Court
2018
Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, U.S. Supreme Court
2020
Bostock v. Clayton County, U.S. Supreme Court