Judge who brought marriage equality to MA to retire

Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall announced her retirement on July 21.

Marshall, 66, led Massachusetts' highest court in its historic ruling approving same-sex marriage.

At a news conference, Marshall said that her husband, former New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis, had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and that she was retiring "so that Tony and I may enjoy our final seasons together."

Marshall authored the court's majority decision legalizing same-sex marriage in Massachusetts in 2003. "The Massachusetts Constitution affirms the dignity and equality of all individuals," she wrote. "It forbids the creation of second-class citizens."

"These words from the Goodridge decision are as clear and moving a statement of legal equality as we have ever seen," read a statement from Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). "In writing them, Chief Justice Marshall and the Supreme Judicial Court profoundly changed the lives of our Commonwealth's gay and lesbian people -- providing not just the ability to marry, but a real sense of equal citizenship. We're saddened to see the end of the career of a distinguished jurist. Chief Justice Marshall led a court that tackled many cases of importance to the LGBT and HIV communities, not the least of which was Goodridge. We wish Chief Justice Marshall and her family well in her retirement."