Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be the first Supreme Court member to officiate at the marriage of same-sex couple.

In what is apparently a first by a Supreme Court member, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will preside at the wedding of a gay couple, Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser and government economist John Roberts (no relation to Chief Justice Roberts).

Ginsburg said in written statement, via The Washington Post:

“˜Michael Kaiser is a friend and someone I much admire. … That is why I am officiating at his wedding.’

She told the Post:

“˜I think it will be one more statement that people who love each other and want to live together should be able to enjoy the blessings and the strife in the marriage relationship.’ …

“˜It won’t be long before there will be another. …’

Ginsburg was referring to the September 22 wedding of David Hagedorn and Michael Widomski. Hagedorn

… read Ginsburg’s (earlier) comments about not having been asked (to officiate at marriages of same-gender couples) this spring and sent her a letter asking her to officiate at his Sept. 22 wedding to Michael Widomski, director of communications and executive affairs for the National Weather Service.

Marriage of same-sex couples is legal in 13 states, with ongoing challenges and efforts toward marriage equality in multiple other states. In the last few days, actions in New Mexico and Hawaii have made news. Marriage equality, in part or in all. of 17 other nations.

At Think Progress, this reminder of recent history:

In June, Ginsburg joined a 5 to 4 ruling striking down a section of the Defense of Marriage Act “” which prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions “” and said during oral arguments for the case that the law relegated gays and lesbians to “˜sort of skim milk marriage.’

The majority of states still exist in the “skim milk marriage” world, but it seems the question is when, not if, marriage equality is a federal right.

(Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Via SPLC)