The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that same-sex unions are the law of the land. ‘No union is more profound than marriage,’ the majority wrote. The chief justice wrote a scathing dissent.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 decision that gay marriage is the law of the land.
The landmark ruling, delivered just in time for Pride weekend festivities in San Francisco and New York City, says that the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees gays and lesbians must have the same right to marry as heterosexuals.
The justices also ruled, advancing an issue that has bitterly divided the nation, that states without gay-marriage laws on the books must recognize gay marriages performed in other states.
President Barack Obama, speaking in the White House Rose Garden for the sceond time in two days, called the historic moment ‘a victory for America.’
‘This morning the Supreme Court recognized that the Constitution guarantees marriage equality. In doing so, they’ve reaffirmed that all Americans are entitled to the equal protection of the law, that all people should be treated equally regardless of who they are or who they love,’ Obama said.
‘Progress on this journey often comes in small increments, sometimes two steps forward, one step back, propelled by the persistent effort of dedicated citizens. And then sometimes, there are days like this when that slow, steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt.’
Source: Gay marriage declared legal across US in historic Supreme Court ruling
