From Gay Rights and American Law:

“[L]esbian and gay litigants in American appellate courts were generally more successful in the 1990s than before. Regardless of court or subject matter, gay people won 42.4 percent of the time in the 1980s and 53.6 percent the following decade, a rate improvement of 26.4 percent. In cases of first impression, the rate increase was 31.9 percent.” (Page 13)

"[T]he mean of the annual number of appellate court lesbian and gay rights decisions increas[ed] from 11.8 for the ten years beginning 1981 to 27.3 for the following decade (with 36 in 2000)." (Page 131)

Edited American Appellate Cases

Adjudicating Lesbian and Gay Rights Claims

Arranged by Year

1978

DiStefano v. DiStefano, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division

1981

Doe v. Doe, Virginia Supreme Court

Florida Board of Bar Examiners Re: N.R.S., Florida Supreme Court

Ireland v. Flanagan, Oregon Court of Appeals

Jacobson v. Jacobson, North Dakota Supreme Court

Nemetz v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit

Van Ooteghem v. Gray, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

1982

J.L.P.(H.) V. D.J.P., Missouri Court of Appeals

State v. Lovely, Maine Supreme Judicial Court

1983

Curran v. Mount Diablo Council of the Boy Scouts of America, California Court of Appeal

Marriage of Cabalquinto, Washington Supreme Court

People v. Uplinger, New York Court of Appeals

1984

Adoption of Robert Paul P., New York Court of Appeals

Brown v. Johnson, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

De Santo v. Barnsley, Pennsylvania Superior Court

Dronenburg v. Zech, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

Matherson v. Marchello, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division

National Gay Task Force v. Board of Education of the City of Oklahoma City, U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Rolon v. Kulwitzky, California Court of Appeal

1985

Hardwick v. Bowers, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

Hinman v. Department of Personnel Administration, California Court of Appeal

Logan v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., Alabama Supreme Court

Loring v. BellSouth Advertising & Publishing Corporation, Georgia Court of Appeals

T.C.H. v. K.M.H., Missouri Supreme Court

1986

Bowers v. Hardwick, U.S. Supreme Court

Guardianship of Kowalski, Minnesota Court of Appeals

Joachim v. AT&T Information Systems, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

Marriage of Cabalquinto, Washington Court of Appeals

Potter v. LaSalle Court Sports & Health Club, Minnesota Supreme Court

1987

Coon v. Joseph, California Court of Appeal

Gay Inmates of Shelby County Jail v. Barksdale, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

Gay Rights Coalition v. Georgetown University, District of Columbia Court of Appeals

Opinion of the Justices, New Hampshire Supreme Court

Padula v. Webster, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Stroman v. Williams, South Carolina Court of Appeals

Thigpen v. Carpenter, Arkansas Court of Appeals

Woy v. Woy, Missouri Court of Appeals

1988

State ex rel. Human Services Department, New Mexico Court of Appeals

Watkins v. U.S. Army, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Whorton v. Dillingham, California Court of Appeal

1989

Braschi v. Stahl Associates Company, New York Court of Appeals

Watkins v. U.S. Army, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

1990

Adoption of Charles B., Ohio Supreme Court

Curiale v. Reagan, California Court of Appeal

High Tech Gays v. Defense Indus. Sec. Clearance Office, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

1991

Alison D. v. Virginia M., New York Court of Appeals

Brian R. v. Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services, California Court of Appeal

Dignity Twin Cities v. Newman Center and Chapel, Minnesota Court of Appeals

Gajovski v. Gajovski, Ohio Court of Appeals

Guardianship of Kowalski, Minnesota Court of Appeals

Hayes v. Smith, Colorado Court of Appeals

Kulla v. McNulty, Minnesota Court of Appeals

Nancy S. v. Michele G., California Court of Appeal

R.E.G. v. L.M.G., Indiana Court of Appeals

Soroka v. Dayton Hudson Corporation, California Court of Appeal

State v. Hadinger, Ohio Court of Appeals

1992

Chicoine v. Chicoine, South Dakota Supreme Court

Commonwealth v. Wasson, Kentucky Supreme Court

Dillon v. Frank, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

1993

Adoption of Swanson, Delaware Supreme Court

Adoption of Tammy, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Adoptions of B.L.V.B. and E.L.V.B., Vermont Supreme Court

Baehr v. Lewin, Hawai’i Supreme Court

City of Dallas v. England, Texas Court of Appeals

Engel v. Worthington, California Court of Appeal

Matter of Cooper, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division

Seward v. Mentrup, Ohio Court of Appeals

1994

Allen v. State, Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals

Angel Lace M. v. Terry M., Wisconsin Supreme Court

Evans v. Romer, Colorado Supreme Court

Hanke v. Safari Hair Adventure, Minnesota Court of Appeals

Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston v. City of Boston, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Lloyd v. Grella, New York Court of Appeals

Ross v. Denver Department of Health and Hospitals, Colorado Court of Appeals

Steffan v. Perry, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Thomas S. v. Robin Y., New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division

1995

Baluyut v. Superior Court, California Court of Appeal

Borquez v. Ozer, Colorado Court of Appeals

Bottoms v. Bottoms, Virginia Supreme Court

City of Atlanta v. McKinney, Georgia Supreme Court

Custody of H.S.H.-K., Wisconsin Supreme Court

DeMuth v. Miller, Pennsylvania Superior Court

deParrie v. City of Portland, Oregon Court of Appeals

Greenwood v. Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, Ohio Court of Appeals

Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, U.S. Supreme Court

In re M.M.D., District of Columbia Court of Appeals

Matter of Jacob, New York Court of Appeals

Sawatzky v. City of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals

1996

Christensen v. State, Georgia Supreme Court

Evans v. May, Texas Court of Appeals

Gay and Lesbian Law Students Association v. Board of Trustees, Connecticut Supreme Court

Nabozny v. Podlesny, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit

Romer v. Evans, U.S. Supreme Court

State v. City of Madison, Wisconsin Court of Appeals

Thomas v. Thomas, Virginia Court of Appeals

Thomasson v. Perry, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit

1997

Bowen v. Bowen, Mississippi Supreme Court

City of Atlanta v. Morgan, Georgia Supreme Court

Equality Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, Inc. v. City of Cincinnati, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

Ireland v. Davis, Kentucky Court of Appeals

J.B.F. v. J.M.F., Alabama Court of Civil Appeals

Philips v. Perry, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Posik v. Layton, Florida District Court of Appeal

Republican Party of Texas v. Dietz, Texas Supreme Court

Rucks v. State, Florida District Court of Appeal

Rutgers Council of AAUP Chapters v. Rutgers, The State University, New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division

Shahar v. Bowers, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

Stemler v. City of Florence, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

1998

Collins v. Faith School District, South Dakota Supreme Court

Curran v. Mount Diablo Council of the Boy Scouts of America, California Supreme Court

Delong v. Delong, Missouri Court of Appeals

Ex Parte D.W.W., Alabama Supreme Court

Ex Parte J.M.F., Alabama Supreme Court

Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc., U.S. Supreme Court

Piatt v. Piatt, Virginia Court of Appeals

Powell v. State, Georgia Supreme Court

Raum v. Restaurant Associates, Inc., New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division

State v. Pattno, Nebraska Supreme Court

Tanner v. Oregon Health Sciences University, Oregon Court of Appeals

Welfare of G.A.S., Minnesota Court of Appeals

1999

Baker v. State, Vermont Supreme Court

Dale v. Boy Scouts of America, New Jersey Supreme Court

E.N.O. v. L.M.M., Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Estate of Reaves v. Owen, Mississippi Court of Appeals

Marriage of Weisbruch, Illinois Appellate Court

Mitchell v. Moore, Pennsylvania Superior Court

Petition of C.M.A., Illinois Appellate Court

Plaxico v. Michael, Mississippi Supreme Court

State of Ohio Metroparks v. Lasher, Ohio Court of Appeals

Weigand v. Houghton, Mississippi Supreme Court

2000

Arlington County v. White, Virginia Supreme Court

Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, U.S. Supreme Court

Gestl v. Frederick, Maryland Court of Special Appeals

Hernandez-Montiel v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

LaChapelle v. Mitten, Minnesota Court of Appeals

Lapides v. Trabbic, Maryland Court of Special Appeals

Marriage of Kraft, Iowa Court of Appeals

People v. Garcia, California Court of Appeal

Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis v. City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Court of Appeals

Simonton v. Runyon, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit

Sterling v. Borough of Minersville, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit

Vasquez v. Hawthorne, Washington Court of Appeals

2001

Levin v. Yeshiva University, New York Court of Appeals

2003
Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Lawrence v. Texas, U.S. Supreme Court

2004
Lofton v. Secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit

Opinions of the Justices to the Senate, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Peterson v. Hewlett-Packard Co., U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

State v. Limon, Kansas Court of Appeals