Houston lawyer looks back on landmark Lawrence v. Texas case: My kids live 'in a much better world'
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law this week, providing federal protection for same-sex and interracial marriage for the first time.
But, did you know one of the landmark Supreme Court cases that led to this new law was first argued right here in Houston?
RELATED: Biden signs historic same-sex marriage rights bill at White House
"That's really my biggest legacy is for the young people of our country and of Texas," Mitchell Avila Katine explained.
Katine is a husband and a father, but he was also the personal attorney for John Lawrence and Tyron Garner.
Back in 1998, Lawrence and Garner were arrested in Harris County for homosexual conduct.
Lawrence v. Texas went all the way to the Supreme Court. And in 2003, the men won.
The ruling meant states could no longer criminalize sexual conduct between people of the same sex.
"Many lawyers told me, 'Listen, Mitchell, don't do this. Don't go to the Supreme Court. You're not going to win,' and we surprised everybody," Katine said. "Our case was in 2003, the Obergefell marriage case was in 2015, and here we are today."
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned this summer, there have been concerns within the LGBTQ community that other landmark rulings, including Lawrence v. Texas, would also be reversed.
But this week's legislation provides a guarantee the federal government would still recognize same-sex marriages.
"I used to say, as the case was proceeding, that we were doing this for our children," Katine said. "Now, I have two 20-year-olds and they and their friends live in a much better world."
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