Rosenthal Law & Mediation
  • About Us
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
212.532.4704

We're here for
your family.

  • Work With Joy
    • Divorce Mediation
    • Collaborative Law
    • Review / Consulting
    • Prenuptial Agreements
  • Learn With Joy
    • Free Webinars
    • Landing On Your Feet
  • Calculator
  • Free Divorce and Family Law Resources
  • Contact
internal-main-image-divorce

How History is Written

April 8, 2016 By Joy Rosenthal

I just read a beautiful tribute to the late Hon. Judith Kaye (1938-2016), who was the much respected and beloved Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of the State of New York.  The tribute was written by Roberta Kaplan, Esq., who represented Edith Windsor in US vs Windsor, the landmark Supreme Court case that, overnight, extended equal rights of gay and lesbian Americans in unprecedented ways.  Ms. Kaplan recently remembered Judge Kaye at a dinner for Le-Gal, the LGBT Bar Association in NYC, of which I am proud to be a member.

She was talking specifically about Judge Kaye’s handling of Matter of Jacob, a case which made second parent adoption legal in New York.   The issue was whether an unmarried partner could adopt without the biological parent giving up his or her rights.  This was at a time when gay marriage was unthinkable.  Judge Kaye understood how important it was to allow the child to have a “second parent.” “[T]o rule otherwise would mean that the thousands of New York children actually being raised in homes headed by two unmarried persons could only have one legal parent, not the two who want them.”

As Ms. Kaplan says, this decision, and others like it, were key in establishing equal rights for LGBT families through the decisions of Windsor, and its successor, Obergefell v. Hodges.

You can read the full text of Kaye and ‘Matter of Jacob’ here.

Thank you, Roberta Kaplan, and thank you, Judge Kaye, for being key players in creating equality.

Filed Under: Adoption, Children, Families, LGBT Tagged With: family, gay, law, lesbian, LGBT

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Greetings from the law firm of Spin, Spin and Spin!
  • A Little Advice From Our Friends…
  • Advice needed! (and Happy New Year)

Recent Comments

  • Lauren Petkin on As I Live and Breathe…
  • Steve Abel on What’s Fair Is Fair… Or Is It?
  • Joy Rosenthal on Love in the Time of Coronavirus

Archives

How Can We Help You?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

↑ Back to Top
Rosenthal Law & Mediation
212.532.4704

Joy S. Rosenthal, Esq.
226 Prospect Park West #156
Brooklyn, NY 11215

The information on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney to obtain legal advice regarding your own situation.
Client Resources | Make a Payment | Disclaimer | Privacy
Website Design by Team of Horses | ©2010-2023 Rosenthal Law & Mediation