Jean Podrasky, first cousin to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on his mother's side, will attend Tuesday's hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court on Proposition 8, The Los Angeles Times reported.
"I am so excited," Podrasky told The Times. "I feel quite honored and overwhelmed."
Podrasky has a keen interest in seeing California's voter-passed ban on same-sex marriage overturned. The 48-year-old lesbian wants to marry Grace Fasano, her partner of four years. The couple lives in San Francisco.
In the weeks before the November 2008 election, Podrasky campaigned against Proposition 8, which added a new provision to the state's constitution stating that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." The proposition, which was approved by voters, not only restricted recognition of gay marriages, it overturned the state Supreme Court's ruling of In re Marriage Cases, which said same-sex couples had a constitutional right to wed.
The U.S. Supreme Court is not likely to rule on the case before late June, The Associated Press reported.
On Tuesday, Podrasky and her partner will sit in seating reserved for family members and guests of the chief justice. She received the highly coveted courtroom seats by emailing Roberts' sister, Peggy Roberts, and then going through his secretary.
Although Podrasky mostly sees Roberts at family functions, she doesn't know his opinions on gay marriage or Proposition 8. As she told Fortune Magazine in 2011: "I really would never disrespect him by asking him about his cases."
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