In a close 5-4 decision, on June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Obergefell v. Hodges case. This ruling now requires all states to recognize and grant same-sex marriages, including those that previously banned marriage licenses for same-sex couples.
The case syllabus regarding the decision declared that the right to marry is an inherent right that should be available to all people under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The following 14 states were affected by this ruling and have been required to lift their ban on same-sex marriages:
- Georgia
- Texas
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Ohio
- Kentucky
- Nebraska
- Most of Missouri
- Louisiana
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Mississippi
- Michigan
President Barack Obama called this historic decision “justice that arrives like a thunderbolt.” Within hours of the announcement to the public, county clerks were administering marriage licenses to same-sex couples throughout the nation who were previously unable to attain one. For more information on this decision, read this article.