Ruth Bader Ginsburg: SCOTUS Will Not Duck The Coming Marriage Cases

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has personally officiated gay weddings, says the Court will definitely hear the same-sex marriage cases heading their way.

Appeals courts in Denver and Richmond, Virginia, have upheld lower court rulings striking down state constitutional bans on same-sex marriage. Any of those cases could make their way to the Supreme Court in the coming months. Attitudes have changed swiftly in favor of same-sex marriage, which is now legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia, Ginsburg said. She predicted that the justices would not delay ruling as they did on interracial marriage bans, which were not formally struck down until 1967. "I think the court will not do what they did in the old days when they continually ducked the issue of miscegenation," Ginsburg said. "If a case is properly before the court, they will take it." The comment marked something of a change for Ginsburg, who previously had been seen as wary about the court getting too far ahead of the country in ruling on major social issues.

Ginsburg also shrugged off suggestions that she should retire while President Obama can still appoint her successor, saying, "Right now, I don't see any sign that I'm less able to do the job."