Abby Rubenfeld | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953 (age 71–72) Oneonta, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) Boston University (JD) |
| Occupation(s) | Civil rights lawyer, adjunct professor |
| Children | 2 |
| Father | Milton Rubenfeld |
| Relatives | Paul Reubens (brother) |
Abby Rubenfeld (born 1953) is an American civil rights attorney who practices in Nashville, Tennessee. [1]
Rubenfeld received an A.B. with honors from Princeton University, where she was class president, and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1979, where she helped create the Boston University Law Association. [1] [2] She was admitted to practice law in 1979. [2]
She challenged Tennessee's "Homosexual Practices Acts" law, which criminalized sodomy. The sodomy law was overturned in 1996. [3] In 2013, she organized a group of attorneys and plaintiffs to challenge Tennessee's ban on same-sex marriage. She filed the lawsuit that led to Tennessee's inclusion in the U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized gay marriage nationwide. [3]
She was an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School and chair of the Individual Rights and Responsibilities section of the American Bar Association. [2] [4] [5] [6] She has served as a board member of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and the Human Rights Campaign. [2] She was an attorney and Legal Director of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. [4]
Rubenfeld is the daughter of Milton Rubenfeld and the sister of actor Paul Reubens. She is married to Helia Rethmann, and has two daughters and a stepdaughter. [2]