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The lawyer who took down DOMA says “dignity” may decide gay rights

As the Supreme Court plans to review gay marriage, the lawyer who won the history-making case points to the value of the word "dignity."

Edith "Edie" Windsor reacts to cheers as she arrives for a news conference following the U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 ruling striking down as unconstitutional the Defense of Marriage Act, in New York

Friday’s news that the Supreme Court plans to review four same-sex marriage cases marks one step forward for gay-rights advocates.

The woman behind the last step, a leap—the Court’s 2013 decision to invalidate the Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA—was interviewed by Arianna Huffington at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. Roberta Kaplan—or Robbie, to her friends and colleagues at the law firm Paul, Weiss—took a break from her usual run of corporate clients to represent Edie Windsor in United States v. Windsor, appeared before the Supreme Court for her first time ever, and won, making history.

During the Q&A session at the Summit, Susie Scher, a Goldman Sachs (GS) managing director who is a gay married mother of four kids, stood up and asked how long will it take until discrimination against gay people goes away. Kaplan’s answer, in which she explains the meaning of the word “dignity,” is both wise and important to think about as another leap for equal rights may be made this coming summer.