September 12, 2017

Edith Windsor Dies at 88

Her landmark Supreme Court case brought down the Defense of Marriage Act.

Pete Marovich/ZUMA

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Edith Windsor, the plaintiff in the 2013 Supreme Court case that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, died in Manhattan on Tuesday, the New York Times reports. She was 88. 

Windsor’s landmark case allowed same-sex couples who were legally married under state law to be afforded the same federal benefits—such as pensions and tax claims—as heterosexual couples. The ruling paved the way for the legalization of same-sex marriages nationwide. 

After her historic victory, Windsor and her partner, Judith Kasen, were married in 2016.

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