Question

When the Supreme Court ruled in June of 2015 that all state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage were unconstitutional, thus invalidating them and making same-sex marriage immediately legal in all 50 states, the Court was exercising its power of __________.

A) Judicial review
B) Judicial activism
C) Judicial restraint
D) Judicial supremacy

Answer 1

The Supreme Court's June 2015 decision in favor of same-sex marriage rights via 'Obergefell v. Hodges' is an example of the Court exercising its power of judicial review.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the Supreme Court ruled in June of 2015 that all state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage were unconstitutional, making same-sex marriage immediately legal in all 50 states, the Court was exercising its power of judicial review. Judicial review is the authority of the Supreme Court and other courts to declare laws and actions of the local, state, and federal governments unconstitutional.

The landmark decision was in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, which drastically changed the landscape of civil rights by recognizing the constitutional right of same-sex couples to marry under the 14th Amendment.