Supreme Court Rules Gay Marriage Legal In All 50 States

In what President Barack Obama called a "victory for America," the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday morning that states can no longer ban same-sex marriage.

The decision on Obergefell v. Hodges came in 5-4 ruling. The case came to light in 2013, after the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff, then married his long-time partner, John Arthur. Arthur died of ALS not long after, and Obergefell sued the state of Ohio to make sure their marriage was recognized on his death certificate.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the opinion on the case.

"No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family," he wrote, according to The New York Times. "In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage.

"Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."

President Obama, an advocate of LGBTQ rights, said in a speech to a crowd of fellow supporters that "This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts."

"It's a victory for the allies and friends and supporters who spent years even decades for change to come," Obama said.

Justice Kennedy did note in his opinion that there is still going to be a debate on the topic. Even if people believe same-sex marriage "should not be condoned," he said that marriages now, by law, must be allowed.

"Finally, it must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned," he said. "The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered.

"The same is true of those who oppose same-sex marriage for other reasons. In turn, those who believe allowing same-sex marriage is proper or indeed essential, whether as a matter of religious conviction or secular belief, may engage those who disagree with their view in an open and searching debate. The Constitution, however, does not permit the State to bar same-sex couples from marriage on the same terms as accorded to couples of the opposite sex. "

In one of four dissents, Chief Justice John Roberts said that the decision on same-sex marriage should "be of no concern" to the Supreme Court.

"But this Court is not a legislature. Whether same-sex marriage is a good idea should be of no concern to us. Under the Constitution, judges have power to say what the law is, not what it should be."

Following the landmark decision, the Facebook and Twitter accounts for the White House, as well as prominent politicians in favor of the ruling, celebrated.

Contrarily, politicians who are against the decision used social media to speak out.

Tags

Gay marriage, Same-Sex Marriage, Obama, Supreme court