On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court came to a 5-4 decision in favor of granting same-sex marriages in all 50 states. Not only do all states have to give out marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the same way opposite-sex couples have the right to, but all states must recognize these as legal civil unions under law. This comes as a result of the Obergefell v. Hodges case, which has been a long-standing debate.
This decision mostly affects the 14 states that previously had a same-sex marriage ban in place, including the following: Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kansas, most of Missouri, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio, and Mississippi. Within hours of this decision being made, many same-sex couples were seen receiving marriage licenses from county clerks in states that earlier that day had not allowed it. President Obama called it “justice that arrives like a thunderbolt” and it was a momentous day in history for many.