Posner Lights Into Lawyers Defending Ban On Same Sex Marriage

Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner called arguments made by Indiana and Wisconsin lawyers in defense of the states’ ban on same-sex marriage “pathetic,” “ridiculous,” and “absurd” when they were argued in court this week. One legal observer called it “a bloodbath,” and law professor Josh Blackman said Posner was being “a bully from the bench.” David Lat, writing for Above The Law, notes that the lawyers on the receiving end of Posner’s ire – Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Timothy Samuelson and Indiana’s solicitor general Thomas Fisher – are in good company, as Posner rarely minces words, even with Supreme Court justices.