Today, the U.S. Supreme Court finally brought marriage equality to loving, committed same-sex couples nationwide.
In Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court justices announced in a 5 – 4 decision that same-sex marriage is the law of the land. The positive ruling included the usual suspects on the side of marriage equality, Justices Sotomayor, Ginsburg, Kagan and Breyer, all considered by some as the liberal wing of the court. Joining them were Justice Kennedy always viewed as the swing vote. Chief Justice John G. Roberts reaffirmed his conservative credentials voting with the dissenters. Justices Thomas, Alito and Scalia voted as expected, for discrimination. They and Chief Justice Roberts did not prevail.
Poetic justice prevailed with the announcement today. It was on June 26th, 2003 that the Supreme Court decision to strike down sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas. On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Windsor that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional. Also on the date in 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage opponents in California did not have standing to appeal the lower court ruling that overturned the state’s same-sex marriage ban, known as Proposition 8. Stonewall started it all on June 28, 1969 but June 26 needs to be acknowledged as well.
The numbers prove America is ready. Sixty-one percent of Americans believe that same sex couples should be able to marry. When broken down by age, that number is even higher among younger demographics. 73 percent of 20-year-old people support same-sex marriage, twice the number of 80-year-old people who are in support of the new law.
See the Supreme Court ruling here.
