Across the United States, as of June 26, 2015, same-sex marriages must now be recognized and granted in all 50 states. The decision came in at a close 5-4 vote in favor of the ruling for the Obergefell v. Hodges case. The case syllabus declared the fact that the right to marry is something that falls under an individual’s fundamental rights in the Fourteenth Amendment. President Obama stated that this decision was akin to “justice arriving like a thunderbolt.”
Previously there were 14 states in the country that had placed a ban on same-sex marriages, but with this new ruling, they are required by law to give out marriage licenses to same-sex couples and identify them as legal civil unions.
The states that were affected by this change, include:
- Texas
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Georgia
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Most of Missouri
- Ohio
- Louisiana
- Nebraska
- Kentucky
Within just a few hours of the decision becoming public, county clerks were giving out marriage licenses to same-sex couples throughout the country. There have been instances of many counties in Texas not issuing same-sex marriage licenses, but it still stands that the state of Texas’ ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. For more information on what this change means for those seeking same-sex marriages in Texas, check out this article from CNN.