Shannon Price Minter, J.D. '93, has been named one of six Lawyers of the Year by Lawyers USA, a legal magazine. The list also includes President Barack Obama.

Minter

Minter, the legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, was honored for winning the June 2008 case in the California Supreme Court that legalized same-sex marriage. After the decision, 18,000 gay and lesbian marriages were performed (including one that Minter himself officiated).

But a legislative backlash soon followed. Activists in California organized Proposition 8, legislation that amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Proposition 8 was passed Nov. 4, 2008.

Minter is now gearing up for a constitutional challenge that would invalidate Proposition 8.

"Along with Shannon's sharp mind and strong intellect, he has a real gift for engaging people in a very friendly and non-threatening way," says Karen Comstock, assistant dean for public service in the Cornell Law School. "I have a deep admiration and respect for Shannon."

Minter called Proposition 8 "disappointing" in Lawyers USA but added that "the tide of public opinion is moving rapidly in our favor. We came very close to winning, and if the vote had been even a year later, to give people time to see that having same-sex married couples is perfectly ordinary, I have no doubt that we would have won."