Lead Attorney in Landmark Supreme Case Nov. 10 University Forum Speaker

A central figure in one of the most historic cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court will be the guest speaker for The University of Southern Mississippi's final University Forum of the fall 2015 semester.

Roberta Kaplan, lead attorney for the U.S. v. Windsor case, will discuss the impact of the court's decision that restricting federal interpretation of marriage to heterosexual unions was unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The event is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10 in the Thad Cochran Center Ballrooms on the Hattiesburg campus, and admission is free.

Dr. Andrew Haley, associate professor of history and director of the 2015-2016 University Forum series, said Kaplan's talk is an example of how the program brings the conversations shaping the nation to South Mississippi.

“Last summer, the Supreme Court recognized the right of gay couples to marry. That decision was a direct result of the precedent-setting arguments that Roberta Kaplan made in Edie Windsor's case before the Supreme Court in 2013,” Haley said. “Both these decisions remain controversial, but there is no question that they have reshaped the world we live in.

“That is why we wanted Roberta Kaplan as a speaker for University Forum. The Forum is the place where Southern Mississippians participate in discussions that matter.”

For more than 40 years, University Forum has provided students, faculty, staff and the general public with a wide range of cultural and artistic experiences that include stimulating lectures from some of the best-known authors and thinkers in the country.

University Forum is presented by the Southern Miss Honors College. For more information, contact the Honors College at 601.266.4533; or e-mail Dr. Haley at forumFREEMississippi.