U.S.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will officiate at a same-sex wedding Saturday -- a first for a member of the nation's highest court, which in June struck down a key portion the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
A Supreme Court spokesperson said Friday that Ginsburg would preside over the wedding of Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser and economist John Roberts.
The 80-year-old Ginsburg is the oldest judge in the top court and one of four progressive judges on the nine-member panel.
The Washington Post quoted Ginsburg as saying she was looking forward to helping the couple tie the knot.
"I think it will be one more statement that people who love each other and want to live together should be able to enjoy the blessings and the strife in the marriage relationship," she told the Post.
In June, the Supreme Court voted for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and in another case effectively legalized gay marriage in California. Ginsburg had voted in both cases in favor of same-sex marriage rights.
The Treasury and Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday that gay couples who wed are entitled to the same U.S. federal tax benefits as married couples, even in states where gay marriage is not legal.
Gays and lesbians can legally marry in 14 out of 50 U.S. States and, since 2009, in Washington, D.C.
Al Jazeera and wire services
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