Steven Henry Levinson (born June 8, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a former Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court of Hawaii The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The principal purpose of the Supreme Court is to review the decisions ...

. Levinson served his first term from 1992 to 2002 and was retained by the Judicial Selection Commission to serve a second ten-year term. He retired from the court, effective December 31, 2008.

Education

Upon graduating from his hometown

Walnut Hills High School Walnut Hills High School is a public college-preparatory high school in Cincinnati, Ohio. Operated by Cincinnati Public Schools, it houses grades seven through twelve. The school was established in 1895 and has occupied its current building s ...

, Levinson attended

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

where he obtained his bachelor's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

in 1968. He then went on to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

where he obtained his doctorate of jurisprudence.

Career

In 1971, Levinson moved to

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

to work as a law clerk for his uncle Bernard Levinson, Associate Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court. In 1972, he joined the law firm Schutter, Levinson and O'Brien where he worked until 1976. From 1977 to 1989, Levinson worked at the law firm Damon, Key, Bocken, Leong and Kupchak where he became an associate and then a stockholder/director. It is from his private practice that Governor John Waihee appointed Levinson in 1989 to the Hawaii State Judiciary as a circuit court judge. Confident in his abilities, the governor elevated Levinson to the Hawaii State Supreme Court in 1992. Levinson was a member of the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

while serving on the bench. Levinson is a member of the

Democratic Party of Hawaii The Democratic Party of Hawaii (DPH; ) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Hawaii. It is currently the dominant party in the state, and is one of the strongest affiliates of the national Democratic Party. The party curren ...

''Baehr v. Lewin''

In 1993, as a Hawaii State Supreme Court Justice, Levinson wrote a notable opinion in the case of '' Baehr v. Lewin'', 852 P.2d 44 (Haw. 1993), in which he ruled that the state of Hawaii needed to demonstrate a "compelling state interest" for denying marriage licenses to three same-sex couples in December 1990. He cited Article I, Section 5 of the

Hawaii Constitution The Constitution of the State of Hawaii (), also known as the Hawaii State Constitution, is the fundamental governing document of the U.S. state of Hawaii. As an organic text, it establishes the principles and framework of government, enumerate ...

in stating: ''No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of the person's civil rights or be discriminated against in the exercise thereof because of race, religion, sex or ancestry.'' Although the ruling gave a push to the gay-rights movement, in 1998, Hawaii's residents voted in favor of amending the state's constitution to allow the legislature "the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples."

Post-judicial life

Levinson is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Hawaii United for Marriage, a coalition advocating for the legalization of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

in the state. He has been a member of the board of directors of the ACLU of Hawaii since 2009. Levinson served on the board of directors of Equality Hawaii from 2010 through 2013. He has been performing same-sex marriages in Hawaii since December 2, 2013, the effective date of Hawaii's Marriage Equality Bill. In October 2016, Levinson was appointed to be a member of the Honolulu Police Commission by Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

Notes

External links

''Baehr v. Lewin''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levinson, Steven H. 1946 births Living people Lawyers from Cincinnati Hawaii state court judges Justices of the Supreme Court of Hawaii Stanford University alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni 20th-century American judges Walnut Hills High School alumni