Robinson Bradshaw Assists with Equality Victory for Same-Sex Couples

The North Carolina Supreme Court today upheld a lower court ruling that provides domestic violence protection for individuals in same-sex dating relationships, a victory for LGBTQ+ North Carolinians. In its precedential decision, the Supreme Court rejected procedural challenges to a lower court’s decision that a North Carolina statute, drafted to extend certain domestic violence protections to only opposite-sex couples, was unconstitutional for violating the rights of individuals in same-sex relationships. 

Robinson Bradshaw submitted an amicus brief pro bono to the Supreme Court on behalf of Legal Aid of North Carolina, the North Carolina Justice Center and the Pauli Murray LGBTQ+ Bar Association in support of the same-sex domestic violence victim. Stephen D. Feldman, Mark A. Hiller, Emily J. Schultz and Garrett A. Steadman represented the amici in the case, assisted by Kevin Richeson and Karen LeBron.