The U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Marriage Equality

Praise

“To the list of landmark Supreme Court decisions reaffirming the power and the scope of the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law . . . we can now add Obergefell v. Hodges.”
—The New York Times
 
“[This ruling is] a victory for gay and lesbian couples who have fought so long for their basic civil rights. It’s a victory for their children, whose families will now be recognized as equal to any other. It’s a victory for the allies and friends and supporters who spent years, even decades, working and praying for change to come. And this ruling is a victory for America. This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts: When all Americans are treated as equal we are all more free.”
—President Barack Obama
 
“A landmark victory for gay rights.”
—The Washington Post
 
“The Supreme Court’s historic ruling . . . granting gays and lesbians an equal right to marry nationwide puts an exclamation point on a profound shift in law and public attitudes, and creates the most significant and controversial new constitutional liberty in more than a generation.”
—Los Angeles Times
 
“The most important civil rights case in a generation.”
—The Guardian