Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage Nationwide
By 2015, same-sex marriage was already legal in many U.S. states following years of state-level litigation and shifting public opinion. Cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee reached the Supreme Court after conflicting lower court rulings on marriage equality. On June 26, 2015, the Court issued its 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, holding that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriages. Justice Anthony Kennedy's majority opinion framed marriage as a fundamental right tied to liberty and equality. The ruling immediately extended marriage rights to all 50 states and territories.