Obergefell v. Hodges legalises same-sex marriage across the US
- Date
- 26 June 2015
- Category
- Social & demographic
- Region
- United States
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
On 26 June 2015 the United States Supreme Court ruled 5–4 in Obergefell v. Hodges that the Fourteenth Amendment requires every state to license marriages between same-sex couples and to recognise such marriages performed elsewhere.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion, grounding the decision in the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses and holding that the right to marry is a fundamental liberty. The ruling established marriage equality nationwide in the world's most influential democracy, extending benefits relating to adoption, inheritance, taxation, healthcare, and next-of-kin status to same-sex couples in all fifty states. Coming amid a rapid global wave of legalisation, the decision was a landmark in the LGBTQ rights movement and a focal point in continuing debates over religious liberty, judicial authority, and social change. It capped decades of litigation and activism and reshaped American law and culture, while energising both supporters and opponents of the broader gay-rights agenda.
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Further reading
The wider story
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