CIVICS
Read remarks by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy in the majority opinion for the Obergefell v. Hodges case. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that same-sex couples have the legal right to marry.
[T]he right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person, and under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment couples of the same-sex may not be deprived of that right and that liberty. Same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. Baker v. Nelson is overruled. The State laws challenged by the petitioners in these cases are held invalid to the extent they exclude same-sex couples from civil marriage on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples.
–Anthony M. Kennedy, June 26, 2015
Why was the 14th Amendment cited to support the court’s decision?
A.The amendment names different groups that federal law protects.
B.The amendment states that federal laws are superior to any state law.
C.The amendment establishes and explains the states’ reserved powers.
D.The amendment requires states to treat all people equally under the law.