description Evan Wolfson Overview
Evan Wolfson is an American civil rights attorney and the founder of Freedom to Marry, a campaign organization established in 2003 to advocate for same-sex marriage in the United States. He wrote his 1983 Harvard Law School thesis on the legal arguments for marriage equality, laying the groundwork for his future advocacy work. Wolfson is widely recognized as a principal legal and political strategist behind the movement that culminated in the 2015 Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004.
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Evan Wolfson ranks #23 of 257 in the Lawyer ranking, behind Benjamin Cardozo, ahead of Henry Clay.
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What was Evan Wolfson's role in Freedom to Marry?
Wolfson founded Freedom to Marry in 2003 and served as its president. The organization coordinated legal, political, fundraising, and public-education work aimed at winning marriage equality nationwide.
How early did Evan Wolfson begin arguing for same-sex marriage?
He wrote a Harvard Law School thesis on the freedom to marry in 1983, decades before nationwide recognition. That work helped define a long-term legal strategy when marriage equality was still outside the priorities of many established organizations.
Did Evan Wolfson argue the Obergefell case at the Supreme Court?
No, Mary Bonauto argued for the petitioners on the central marriage question in Obergefell v. Hodges. Wolfson's role was as a long-term strategist and movement organizer leading Freedom to Marry.
What happened to Freedom to Marry after nationwide marriage equality?
The organization wound down after the Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell decision established marriage equality across the United States. Closing after achieving its defined objective was part of the campaign's planned structure.
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