- There are a number of both ideological and religious martyrs throughout history. But for every one that you can find noted by history, there are at least hundreds who preceded that one that failed so completely as to be nearly erased from memory.
- Even if we just look at legal breakthroughs in history, the number of cases that get stomped to dust or defeated through sheer attrition outnumbers successful cases by scores for every one that reaches state level. More so for federal level.
- Despite what political ideologues and demagogues like to pretend on the teevee, the law and the legal system is not some literal, set-in-stone, sacrosanct list of rules that one simply needs to find loopholes in or get rewritten to change The Way Things Are™. The legal system is neither fair nor just, and is probably the most direct form of democracy in the country because judges tend to rule with the lowest common denominator of public opinion. If your legal eagle relative is being honest with you they'd let you know the same. When you hear politicians or activists saying they want their case heard in court it's because they believe public opinion is generally with them. As soon as a court rules against them they all of the sudden go right back to appealing "to the people".
I'm just pointing out the above because what you're suggesting should involve informed consent. If you're serious about going the route you're talking despite the above, then more power to ya. Rock on with your socks on.