The U.S. Supreme Court has made same-sex marriage legal throughout America, on Friday, June 26.
The court ruled that the constitution gives gay and lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples.
The historic decision invalidates the same-sex marriage bans of 14 states, from Texas on the Mexican border to Michigan and North Dakota on the Canadian border.
The vote was 5-4, reflecting the deep divide on the issue in the American society. The court’s four liberals were joined by the conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote his third landmark opinion expanding gay rights.
Kennedy wrote that the plaintiffs asked “for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”
In powerful, unequivocal language, Kennedy declared same-sex relationships no less worthy of the sacred institution of marriage than relationships between men and women.
The ruling, which sparked celebrations outside the court in Washington DC, brings to an end more than a decade of bitter legal battles.
President Barack Obama wrote on twitter that, “Today is a big step in our march toward equality. Gay and lesbian couples now have the right to marry, just like anyone else. #LoveWins.”
Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate called the ruling “an out-of-control act of unconstitutional, judicial tyranny.” In the same vein, Christian conservatives hav also decried the decision.
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