They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing on behalf of the court, said the hope of gay people intending to marry “is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. 'As of 7:08 PM, the sunlight made it difficult make out the colors, but red, orange, yellow, green and violet were faintly visible,' according to a pool report cited by Politico. But the decision may provoke fresh legal fights in some conservative, Republican-governed states. The Obama administration lit up the north side of the White House in rainbow-colored light Friday night to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage around the country. In 2004 Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage. The ruling, the culmination of a long legal fight by gay rights advocates, follows steady gains in public approval in recent years for same-sex marriage. With the landmark ruling, gay marriage becomes legal in all 50 states.Īs night fell, the White House was lit in rainbow colors – a symbol of gay pride – to mark the high court’s decision.
The court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot ban same-sex marriages. The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the US Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, handing a historic triumph to the American gay rights movement.
