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US District Court Judge Judith Ellen Levy, left, marries Johnnie Terry and Elizabeth Patten as family looks on in the Washtenaw County Clerks office in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 22, 2014. Michigan's gay marriage ban was lifted on Friday but was later re-instituted.
(Patrick Record | The Ann Arbor News)
U.S. District Court Judge Judith Levy will highlight the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation's fifth annual "Interfaith Service of Affirmation" Tuesday evening.
The University of Michigan graduate will deliver a keynote address during the service, which is co-sponsored by a wide variety of religious and community institutions.
"I am planning to talk about my personal story," Levy, one of seven openly gay federal judges, said in a statement.
"[About] why I think diversity on the bench matters if we are to have a meaningful justice system, and a little on why we can be hopeful about the future."
Levy has been committed to her partner Janet Johnson for nearly three decades, and the two were married last summer in a civil ceremony in Washington, D.C. The state of Michigan does not recognize same-sex marriages and multiple court cases challenging the state's law and its interpretation are winding through the court system.
Before becoming a federal judge, Levy was trial attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an assistant U.S. Attorney and an adjunct U-M Law School professor. She was confirmed in the summer of 2013 by a 97-0 vote in the Senate.
"I was nervous," Levy said in a statement.
"Your entire life is laid bare in what the Senate Judiciary Committee seeks, including everything you have ever said in public or written. I'm thankful that my nomination did not become a political issue."
The event Tuesday evening will start at 7 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation, located at 4001 Ann Arbor-Saline Road near the corner with Ellsworth Road. The service will include a group blessing of same-sex couples who have been able to marry or who want to be in the future.
The event is free and open to the public.
Ben Freed is a general assignments reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at benfreed@mlive.com and follow him on twitter at @BFreedinA2. He also answers the phone at 734-623-2528.