WASHINGTON – A retired Supreme Court justice has performed a same-sex marriage ceremony joining Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to become only the second past or present justice to officiate at a same-sex wedding ceremony.
Buzzfeed.com reports that retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor officiated at the wedding of Jeff Trammell and Stuart Serkin last Tuesday.
Following the ceremony Trammell told BuzzFeed, “It was wonderful. It was everything you’d expect it to be: elegant, charming, very moving. She really was wonderful, in private just like she is in public.”
Interestingly enough, O’Connor comes from a far less liberal background than Ginsberg having been a Republican state senator in Arizona, prior to being appointed to the high court by President Reagan.
Explaining his choice, Trammel told Buzfeed, “For the last two years, I have been rector of William and Mary, which is my alma mater, and that’s chair of the board. And she was chancellor, which is a 320-year-old position that George Washington once held, and a lot of people like that. So, I worked closely with her. I knew her well,” he said. “And so it was logical, when we decided to get married, that I would ask her to do it. And she was most gracious, really just a remarkable individual.”
Acknowledging the work that has been done to make the day possible Trammell said, “I feel a great debt of appreciation for the whole community and the work that so many people have done to make this possible,” Trammell said of the day. Reflecting on work that he noted still remains, he paused, then said, “Here we’re fully legal. Here, but not in our home state of Florida. Our roots.”
