"Equal Dignity": US Map Shows the Impact of Obergefell v Hodges Decision
"They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law," then-Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote 10 years ago, in the Obergefell v. Hodges majority opinion. "The Constitution grants them that right."
With those words, on June 26, 2015, same-sex marriage became legal in all U.S. states. The landmark 5-4 decision superseded what had been a patchwork of laws and court orders in which some states allowed gay marriages or same-sex civil unions, while others banned them and refused to recognize unions performed outside their borders.
"The right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person," the Supreme Court ruled.
The dramatic shift was captured in a map NPR published in 2015, as the Supreme Court ruled that equal protections under the 14th Amendment require states to license and recognize same-sex marriages.***
In 2022, the Respect for Marriage Act became law, after gaining bipartisan support in Congress. The federal law redefines marriage as being "between two individuals," rather than a man and a woman. It also bars states from denying "any right or claim relating to out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin."