In a 54 decision, the Supreme Court held that the 14th Amendment requires that states license marriage for samesex couples as well as recognize licenses for samesex marriages that are issued out of state. With this decision, the Court reversed the ruling of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. In the majority opinion, written by Justice Kennedy, the Court rejected the argument that the petitioners were attempting to devalue the institution of marriage, but argued instead that they were trying to access its benefits. The majority also wrote that just as society’s understanding of marriage has evolved over time, the definition must evolve again to acknowledge this newly understood freedom.

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**Think Further Questions
1. What do you think are some of the essential rights that samesex couples did not have access to prior to this Supreme Court decision?
2. Do you believe that if the legalization of samesex marriage had been left to the states, all 50 states would have eventually issued marriage licenses to samesex couples?
3. Which parts of the Court’s reasoning surprise you? Do you agree with every part of the decision?

**Contents
00:00 Case
01:47 Decision
03:17 Dissent
04:02 Impact

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