Adoption STAR’s Associate Director Michael Hill and Client Relationship Manager Zachary Fried are traveling to Washington, D.C. to witness history.
Adoption STAR clients Joe Vitale and Rob Talmas (and their son Cooper) are plaintiffs in a consolidated group of lawsuits that are related to gay marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on these cases on Tuesday, April 28th. Joe and Rob have asked that Adoption STAR staff join them in D.C. for this momentous event, and we were happy to take them up on the offer.
As New York State residents, Joe and Rob were able to get legally married. The utilized Adoption STAR to become parents to their son Cooper, who was born in Ohio. Because their marriage is not respected or recognized by the State of Ohio, Joe and Rob were told that they would be unable to get a birth certificate for Cooper that listed both of their names on it. That lead to a lawsuit….which after being heard by a few lower courts, is now going to be heard by the highest court in the country.
Adoption STAR staff Michael Hill and Zack Fried are thrilled to be joining the family in D.C. and are deeply proud of the dedication and commitment that Joe and Rob have shown to this fight.
To view a WGRZ-TV piece on this story, click here: Western New York Adoption Agency Involved in Supreme Court Case
To view a Lambda Legal video about Joe, Rob and Cooper, click here: