Obergefell v. Hodges

A 2015 United States Supreme Court decision holding that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license marriages between same-sex couples and recognize such marriages performed elsewhere.

Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution: A constitutional amendment guaranteeing citizenship, due process, and equal protection under law. The Court grounded the marriage right in its Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses.
Same-sex marriage in the United States: The legal recognition of marriages between partners of the same sex in the United States. The decision established a constitutional right to same-sex marriage nationwide.
Jim Obergefell: An Ohio widower whose challenge to the state's refusal to recognize his marriage became the lead case in Obergefell v. Hodges. His suit sought recognition of his marriage to John Arthur on Arthur's death certificate.
Marriage equality: Equal legal recognition of marriages regardless of the spouses' sexes or sexual orientations. Obergefell made this principle a constitutional requirement for every state.
Due Process Clause: A constitutional guarantee that government will not deprive people of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. The opinion treated the liberty to marry as a fundamental right protected by this clause.
United States v. Windsor: A 2013 Supreme Court decision invalidating the federal Defense of Marriage Act's definition of marriage. Its constitutional reasoning and recognition of same-sex marriages preceded Obergefell.
John Arthur: The late husband of Jim Obergefell, whose Ohio death certificate became central to their lawsuit. Ohio's refusal to list Obergefell as his spouse helped bring the case to court.
Kim Davis: A Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses after Obergefell, citing her religious beliefs. Her refusal became a prominent test of how the ruling applied to public officials.
Equal Protection Clause: A constitutional guarantee that a state will not deny any person equal protection of the laws. The Court held that excluding same-sex couples from marriage also denied them equal protection.
Hollingsworth v. Perry: A 2013 Supreme Court decision dismissing an appeal over California's same-sex marriage ban for lack of standing. It left intact a lower-court ruling that restored same-sex marriage in California.

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