NSU’s Shepard Broad Law Center Professor Offers Expert Opinion of U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Same Sex Marriage

James Wilets, J.D. Chairs Inter-American Center for Human Rights

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on same sex marriage, James Wilets, J.D., professor at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Shepard Broad Law Center, and chair of the Inter-American Center for Human Rights, has provided his opinion on the decision.

Wilets’ stated, “Today’s historic decision by the Supreme Court is a culmination of court precedents establishing that gays and lesbians are entitled to protection of the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the US Constitution.  In applying those principles to marriage, the Supreme Court is simply upholding the equality of gay and lesbian citizens to the basic rights to marriage which other citizens take for granted.”

He continued, “It has been a paradox of constitutional jurisprudence that the legal equality of gays and lesbians has largely been accepted, and yet not applied to one of the most legally and personal consequential events in many people’s lives.”

He pointed out, “For those opposed to same-sex marriage, this decision does not in any manner imply state endorsement of same sex marriage, but simply state neutrality.  Members of religions that oppose same-sex marriage are free not to perform such marriages and are obviously free not to marry someone of the same gender.”

Wilets received his M.A. in International Relations from Yale University in 1994, his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1987, and his B.A. from the University of Washington in 1982. He teaches in the areas of International Law, Constitutional Law, Comparative Law, Human Rights, Immigration Law, Gender and the Law, and European Union Law. Wilets writes extensively on constitutional and international law issues.

Media interested in an interview with Wilets should contact Marla Oxenhandler, 954-262-5315.

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About the Shepard Broad Law Center: Nova Southeastern University’s Law Center offers a rigorous traditional academic program in three-year day and four-year evening versions, as well as dual-degree programs. Additionally, NSU Law offers three online Master of Science degrees in law in the areas of education, employment, and health. NSU Law prides itself on preparing graduates to make a smooth transition from the classroom to the courtroom or boardroom. Lawyering Skills and Values (LSV)-Every student completes a four-semester LSV sequence that combines traditional legal reasoning, writing, and research with an introduction to lawyer interviewing, counseling, negotiating, mediating, advocating, and other critical skills in a simulated law firm experience. For more information please visit http://www.nsulaw.nova.edu/

About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution with more than 24,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution.

Media Contact
Marla Oxenhandler | Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5315 (office)
954-770-9204 (cell)
moxenhandl@nova.edu