In 1997, Mr. Cooper defended Hawaii in the state's Supreme Court for not performing same-sex marriages, in one of the first major cases tied to the issue.

WSJ: Chuck Cooper, the Other Lawyer in Gay-Marriage Case

The marriage issue has troubled and divided Hawaii since 1993, when the state supreme court (in its first gay case ever) declared that the state was violating its constitution in denying marriage licenses to gays and lesbians.

CNN: For better or worse

Lewin, the Hawaii Supreme Court decided that the state's prohibition on same-sex marriage was discriminatory.

CNN: How the right helped launch same-sex marriage movement