At the signing of Senate Bill 1, Governor Abercrombie acknowledged retired Justice Steven Levinson and Associate Judge Daniel Foley as instrumental in paving the way for the Marriage Equality Act. In May of 1993, Justice Levinson authored the Hawaii Supreme Court opinion in Baehr v. Lewin, which became the first appellate court decision in history to find the state constitution presumptively prohibited the exclusion of same-sex couples from access to marriage. At that time, Judge Foley was the attorney in the Baehr case, representing the plaintiffs.

 “At any given moment in our lives when we are asked to do something in our duties, or out of our joys, we don’t always know that it would have such a lasting impact down the line,” said Governor Abercrombie as he presented the pen he used to sign SB1 to Justice Levinson and the pen he used to sign the proclamation to Judge Foley.

 

Judge Daniel R. Foley, Governor Neil Abercrombie, and Former Associate Justice Steven H. Levinson at a pen ceremony at the
Governor’s Ceremonial Room on Friday, February 7.