Court cases on gay marriage

The court was the first ever to rule that excluding same-sex couples from marriage was discrimination. It sent the case back to trial court to determine whether the state could justify this discrimination. We joined as counsel and prepared for trial. The state appealed, while antigay forces from other states spent millions of dollars in Hawaii to support the first successful constitutional amendment specifically targeting gay relationships, which voters passed in This historic case marked the first time a state high court ruled that excluding same-sex couples from marriage is discrimination. Our work on this case also led to the beginnings of a national marriage coalition and the original Freedom to Marry Day now Week.

They also have no parental rights to any children their partners may have. The Sapporo District Court concluded that preventing same-sex couples from receiving the legal benefits of marriage cannot be justified because sexuality, like race and gender, is not a matter of preference. However, the court rejected a demand for remuneration by the six plaintiffs in the case — two couples of men and one of women. Currently, same-sex partners can only receive partnership certificates which can help with renting property and ensuring hospital visitation rights.

Obergefell v. Hodges , U. The 5—4 ruling requires all fifty states , the District of Columbia , and the Insular Areas to perform and recognize the marriages of same-sex couples on the same terms and conditions as the marriages of opposite-sex couples, with all the accompanying rights and responsibilities. Between January and February , plaintiffs in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee filed federal district court cases that culminated in Obergefell v. After all district courts ruled for the plaintiffs, the rulings were appealed to the Sixth Circuit.

Alito Jr. Hodges , saying it stigmatized people of faith who objected to same-sex marriage. Chief Justice John G.