Obergefell v. Hodges facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Obergefell v. Hodges
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued April 28, 2015 Decided June 26, 2015
Full case name	James Obergefell, et al., Petitioners v. Richard Hodges, Director, Ohio Department of Health, et al.
Docket nos.	14-556
Citations	576 U.S. ___ (more) 135 S. Ct. 2584; 192 L. Ed. 2d 609; 83 U.S.L.W. 4592; 25 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 472; 2015 WL 2473451; 2015 U.S. LEXIS 4250; 2015 BL 204553
Related cases	Bourke v. Beshear, DeBoer v. Snyder, Tanco v. Haslam, Love v. Beshear.
Argument	Oral argument
Opinion Announcement	Opinion announcement
Holding
The Fourteenth Amendment requires a State to license a marriage between two people of the same sex and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-State. United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed. Baker v. Nelson overturned.
Court membership
Case opinions
Majority	Kennedy, joined by Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan
Dissent	Roberts, joined by Scalia, Thomas
Dissent	Scalia, joined by Thomas
Dissent	Thomas, joined by Scalia
Dissent	Alito, joined by Scalia, Thomas
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. XIV
This case overturned a previous ruling or rulings
Baker v. Nelson (1972)

Obergefell v. Hodges was a landmark decision United States Supreme Court case. The Court held that the recognition and provision of same-sex marriage is a fundamental right. They ruled it is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Not one lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, is not the result of one lawsuit. Instead, it is the result of a consolidation of six lower-court cases originally representing sixteen same-sex couples, seven of their children, a widower, an adoption agency, and a funeral director. The original cases hail from the four states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. All six federal district courts ruled for the same-sex couples and other claimants. The lead plaintiff in the case was Jim Obergefell. He had challenged Ohio's ban on same-sex marriage. He filed the lawsuit because he could not put his name on his partner, John Arthur's death certificate. Ohio would not recognize their marriage in Maryland.

Decision

The Obergefell decision, however, was not based in law. Chief Justice Roberts, in his dissenting opinion, explained the Obergefell plaintiffs’ “‘fundamental right’ claim falls into the most sensitive category of constitutional adjudication.” The claim is not based on a right mentioned in the constitution. Instead, it was argued that it discrimination against “a right implied by the Fourteenth Amendment’s requirement that ‘liberty’ may not be deprived without ‘due process of law.’”

On June 26, 2015, Obergefell requires all states to issue a license to marry between all people of the same sex. It requires all states to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.

Images for kids

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  Outside the Supreme Court on the morning of June 26, 2015, James Obergefell (foreground, center) and attorney Al Gerhardstein (foreground, left) react to its historic decision.

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  Plaintiffs Gregory Bourke (left) and Michael DeLeon (right) celebrate outside the Supreme Court building on June 26, 2015.

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  Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote the Sixth Circuit's majority opinion upholding same-sex marriage bans, causing the circuit split that helped trigger Supreme Court review.

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  On the morning of June 26, 2015, outside the Supreme Court, the crowd celebrates the Court's decision.

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  Justice Anthony Kennedy authored the Court's opinion declaring same-sex couples have the right to marry.

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  In his dissent, Chief Justice John Roberts argued same-sex marriage bans did not violate the Constitution.

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  Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a dissent rejecting substantive due process.

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  The White House illuminated in rainbow colors, which appear on the LGBTQ+ pride flag, on the evening of the ruling

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  Plaintiffs Jimmy Meade (left) and Luke Barlowe (right) celebrate at Lexington Pride Festival, Lexington, Kentucky, on the day after the Obergefell ruling.

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  Opponents of the decision protest before the steps of the Supreme Court, June 26, 2015.

See also

In Spanish: Caso Obergefell contra Hodges para niños