U.S. District Court Judge Richard Young, who overturned Indiana’s ban on marriage equality before Obergefell, announced his retirement on Thursday.
Young made the announcement in a press release from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. He’s stepping down after the appointment of Magistrate Judge Matthew P. Brookman being nominated for the seat in Evansville by President Joe Biden.
The Associated Press reported that Young gained attention in 2014 when he ruled that an Indiana law banning same-sex marriages violated the U.S. Constitution’s equal-protection clause. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the state’s appeal of Young’s ruling. The right to marriage was established by the Supreme Court in 2015.
In 2018, Young also issued an injunction prohibiting Indiana from implementing Senate Enrolled Act, which required healthcare providers to report 26 types of abortion complications to the state health department, saying it was too vague.
Young said, “I’ve been on the District Court bench for 25 years. It is time to slow down a bit and take some time to travel and perhaps learn how to play the piano. I am thrilled that Judge Brookman has been nominated. He has great support in our district, especially in the Evansville legal community.”
He was appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on March 25, 1998, and served as Chief Judge from November 2009 to November 2016.