5-4: US Supreme Court Holds States Must License and Recognize Same Sex Marriages

Relying on the 14th Amendment, in a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states must license marriages —  and recognize them as valid marriages — for same sex couples.  Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion for the majority; Chief Justice Roberts authored a dissent.

Here’s a link to the Supreme Court’s full opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, released today, June 26, 2015.  Interestingly, June 26 has also hosted past landmark rulings affecting marriage rights.

UPDATE:  in watching the evening news tonight, I was struck by the numbers of couples with grey hair celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision. For the moving story of Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff, see this People profile.  For commentary on how the most recent Supreme Court ruling, on top of the Windsor case, affects “older” same sex couples, see this blog entry from Justice in Aging.