The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality with a vote of 5-4 in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges June 26.
The opinion, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, states the Fourteenth Amendment requires a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when a marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out of state.
“It is now clear that the challenged laws burden the liberty of same-sex couples, and it must be further acknowledged that they abridge central precepts of equality . . . Especially against a long history of disapproval of their relationships, this denial to same-sex couples of the right to marry works a grave and continuing harm. The imposition of this disability on gays and lesbians serves to disrespect and subordinate them. And the Equal Protection Clause, like the Due Process Clause, prohibits this unjustified infringement of the fundamental right to marry,” the opinion reads.
The celebrations were immediate at the steps of the Supreme Court and on social media.
The ruling comes two years to the date after the court ruled on the United States v. Windsor and struck down part of the Defense Against Marriage Act.
