A landmark anniversary: marking 20 years of same-sex marriage

2023 Goodridge ruling underscores the importance of voting

i hope it takes nothing away from mary bonauto, senior director of civil rights and legal strategies for glbtQ legal Advocates and Defenders, and her remarkable team to talk about the connection between voting and the historic goodridge v. Department of Public Health case (“A celebration of 20 years of same-sex marriage,” metro, may 18).

goodridge was a 4-3 decision. in the Supreme Judicial court majority were chief Justice margaret marshall, a governor william weld appointee; michael Dukakis appointee John m. greaney; Deval Patrick appointee Roderick l. ireland; and Paul cellucci appointee Judith A. cowin. the three dissenting justices — francis X. Spina, martha Sosman, and Robert J. cordy — were all cellucci appointees.

to serve on the court, all of these justices received the “advice and consent” of the massachusetts governor’s council, a body of eight elected district officials, with the lieutenant governor presiding.

in other words, who gets appointed to the SJc (and to all of the commonwealth’s state courts) depends in large part on the judicial philosophies and constitutional perspectives of the elected governor and governor’s councilors.

because we’re not in a presidential-election swing state, massachusetts residents often say that our votes don’t matter. but the goodridge decision, which led to the nationwide right of lgbtQ people to marry, teaches us otherwise. every election is an opportunity for citizens to install decision-makers who will stand up for justice. what a privilege that is. let’s all vote, in every election, up and down the ballot.