WASHINGTON (WRIC/MG/AP) – The Supreme Court has declared that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States.
By a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has reversed the sixth circuit’s decision, therefore ending the bans against same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage was illegal in 13 states prior to Friday’s ruling.
Click here to read the full document on SCOTUS’ ruling.
It’s up to state and local officials to determine how soon same-sex couples will be able to get married. Many have been preparing for the ruling, setting up and readying for a surge of new marriage applicants.
“What can happen and should happen is that states should start issuing marriage licenses almost immediately,” James Esseks, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT and AIDS Project, told Vox Media. “Once the Supreme Court rules, it’s the law of the land.”
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the opinion on the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which was joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito each wrote dissents.
Kennedy said in his opinion: “The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons, within a lawful real, to define and express their identity. … The ancient origins of marriage confirm its centrality, but it has not stood in isolation from developments in law and society. The history of marriage is one of both continuity and change. That institution – even as confined to opposite-sex relations – has evolved over time.”
President Obama tweeted shortly after the ruling.
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe tweeted as well, commending the Supreme Court for the ruling.
The Family Foundation also released a statement after the ruling, saying, “The Supreme Court stripped all Americans of our freedom to debate and decide marriage policy through the democratic process.” Click here to read their full statement.
Equality Virginia said that with the decision, “we no longer have two Americas when it comes to relationship recognition.” You can read their full statement by clicking here.
8News reporter Mark Tenia is working to learn more about this developing story and how it will affect us here in Virginia. Watch his full report TONIGHT on 8News at 5, 5:30 and 6.
