U.S. Supreme Court Grants Certiorari in U.S. v. Windsor

As has been widely reported by The New York Times, ABC News, NBC News, USA Today, CNN, the New York Law Journal, the Huffington Post and many other news outlets, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in United States v. Windsor, No. 12-307, which involves a constitutional challenge to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA"). Paul, Weiss client, Edith Windsor, shared 44 years with her late spouse, Thea Clara Spyer. But in 2009, Ms. Windsor was forced to pay more than $360,000 in federal estate taxes because the federal government refused to recognize their marriage after Ms. Spyer's death, solely as a result of DOMA, which defines marriage as between only one man and one woman for the purposes of federal law. In June 2012, Judge Barbara Jones of the SDNY held that DOMA violates equal protection  and is unconstitutional. The Second Circuit then affirmed the district court's ruling in a majority opinion written by Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs. 

The Paul, Weiss team representing Edith Windsor included litigation partners Roberta Kaplan, Andrew Ehrlich, Walter Rieman and Craig Benson; litigation associates Janna Berke, Zachary Dietert, Julie Fink, Jaren Janghorbani, Joshua Kaye, Alexia Koritz, Nila Merola, Davin Rosborough and Ralia Polechronis; personal representation partner Alan Halperin; and tax partner Richard Bronstein and associate Colin Kelly.