Married Lesbian Couples Granted Preliminary Injunction in Mississippi Adoption Case

As reported by the Washington Post, Buzzfeed and ABC News, among other media outlets, Judge Daniel P. Jordan III of the Southern District of Mississippi issued an opinion holding Mississippi's ban on adoption by gay couples unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. Judge Jordan granted our clients' motion for a preliminary injunction against the Mississippi Department of Human Services, and so barred Mississippi from enforcing the law. Mississippi was the last state in the country that explicitly banned married gay and lesbian couples from adopting children. Our clients included three married lesbian couples seeking to adopt, the Campaign for Southern Equality and the Family Equality Council.  Upon learning of the ruling, plaintiff Susan Hrostowski, who testified at the preliminary injunction hearing, said: "We are so overwhelmed with joy. Our son just turned 16 on Easter Sunday and is going to get his driver's license tomorrow . . . For us, the feeling and the way we have operated as a family have never been impacted by this law. But to have this ruling and to be able to start the adoption proceedings tomorrow means everything to me. There is no greater joy on this planet than to have him as my son and for the world to understand, appreciate and affirm that he is my son. It means everything."

The Paul, Weiss team included, among others, litigation partners Andrew Ehrlich and Jaren Janghorbani, associates Joshua Kaye, Jacob Hupart, Michael Nadler, Nila Merola, Amy Beaux, William O'Neil, Rebecca Matte, Asher Smith and Alex Hess.