Same-Sex Marriage Becomes Law Of The Land In All 50 States

This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that refusing to grant marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples violates the Constitution, making same-sex marriage legal nationwide. The majority 5-4 rule was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy.

President Barack Obama, speaking from the White House after the ruling, called the decision a “victory for America.”

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were,” Kennedy wrote. “As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death.”

Writing for the dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts said, “for those who believe in a government of laws, not of men, the majority’s approach is deeply disheartening.”

36 more states now permit same-sex marriage. The decision strikes down the remaining bans in the other 14 states – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas. This landmark ruling is the most significant change to marriage laws since striking down state bans on inter-racial marriage 50 years ago.