Obergefell v. Hodges

Obergefell v. Hodges is the landmark case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 26, 2015, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry across the United States. In the 5 to 4 decision written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment's due process and equal protection guarantees require every state to license same-sex marriages and to recognize such marriages performed in other states. Lead plaintiff Jim Obergefell sued Ohio to be listed as the surviving spouse on his late husband John Arthur's death certificate. The ruling struck down remaining state marriage bans and was the culmination of decades of legal and political organizing for marriage equality.