This morning at 9 AM ET, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary will hold a hearing on the threat to individual rights in a post-Roe world, significantly highlighting the potential impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Human Rights Campaign Legal Director, Sarah Warbelow, will testify on how the Dobbs decision may affect LGBTQ+ civil rights, including the potential impact on Obergefell v. Hodges and Lawrence v. Texas. The other panelists to testify before the committee include Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in Obergefell v. Hodges, and New York University Professor of Law Melissa Murray. The hearing will be livestreamed at this link.
Cited in the harmful Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, the majority opinion, concurring opinion and dissent all make mention of LGBTQ+ civil rights cases. In Justice Thomas’ concurring opinion, he invited challenges to other landmark civil rights decisions, including Griswold v. Connecticut. Obergefell v Hodges and Lawrence v Texas. However, the majority opinion stated that the Dobbs decision only applies to abortion and does not have a legal impact on any other case, including Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell.
