Neel Lane, Barry Chasnoff Quoted on Texas Same-Sex Marriage Suit

Akin Gump litigation partner Neel Lane was quoted by the San Antonio Express-News for its article “Same-sex marriage headed for a showdown in S.A.” on a federal lawsuit filed by two same-sex couples challenging Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage.  Lane and litigation partner Barry Chasnoff are leading the firm’s pro bono effort to represent these couples.

Lane noted regarding the lawsuits, “Our belief is the arc of equal protection cases ... points directly to recognizing that people have the right to marry regardless of gender. Gays and lesbians are not afforded access to marriage and all the benefits from it. That is a denial of equal protection of the law. It is unequal when some people are not permitted to do what most others are permitted to do. And there's no basis for denying them that right.”

This story is being covered by a variety of outlets, including The Dallas Morning News, which, in its article “Plano men at center of Texas gay marriage case that opens Wednesday,” quoted Chasnoff, who spoke of Akin Gump’s history of supporting gay marriage and providing pro bono counsel and who noted that the firm sees same-sex equality as a civil rights cause, not unlike that of the race-related cases of the 1950s and ‘60s.

To read more about Akin Gump’s LGBT commitment, please click here.