COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling 10 years ago on June 26, 2015, legalized same-sex marriage across the U.S.
The followed years of national wrangling during which some states moved to protect domestic partnerships or civil unions for same-sex partners and others declared that marriage could exist only between one man and one woman.
In plaintiff James Obergefell's home state of Ohio, voters had overwhelmingly approved such an amendment in 2004 — effectively mirroring the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal recognition of same-sex couples. That laid the political groundwork for the legal challenge that bears his name.
Here's what you need to know about the lawsuit, the people involved and the 2015 ruling's immediate and longer-term effects:
Who are James Obergefell and Rick Hodges?
Obergefell and John Arthur, who brought the initial legal action, were longtime partners living in Cincinnati. They had been together for nearly two decades when Arthur was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2011. Obergefell became Arthur's caregiver as the incurable condition ravaged his health over time.
When in 2013 the Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which had denied federal recognition of same-sex marriages, the pair acted quickly to get married. Their union was not allowed in Ohio, so they boarded a plane to Maryland and, because of Arthur's fragile health, married on the tarmac.
It was when they learned their union would not be listed on Arthur's death certificate that the legal battle began. They went to court seeking recognition of their marriage on the document, and their request was granted. Ohio appealed, and the case began its way up the ladder to the nation's high court.
Obergefell, a Democrat, made an unsuccessful run in 2022.
Rick Hodges, a Republican, was director of the Ohio Department of Health, which handles death certificates, from August 2014 to 2017. Before being appointed by then-Gov. John Kasich, Hodges served five years in the state's House. Acquainted through the court case, .
What were the legal arguments?
The lawsuit eventually titled Obergefell v. Hodges argued that marriage is guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, specifically the due process and equal protection clauses.
The litigation consolidated several lawsuits brought by same-sex couples in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee who were denied marriage licenses or recognition for out-of-state marriages and whose cases resulted in conflicting opinions in federal circuit courts.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the right to marry is fundamental, calling it “inherent in the liberty of the person†and therefore protected by the Constitution. The ruling effectively nullified state-level bans on same-sex marriages, as well as laws declining to recognize such unions performed in other jurisdictions.
The custody, property, tax, insurance and business implications of the decision have also had sweeping impacts on other areas of law.
How did the country react?
Same-sex marriages surged in the immediate wake of the Obergefell decision, as dating couples and those already living as domestic partners flocked to courthouses and houses of worship that welcomed them to legalize their unions.
Over the ensuing decade, the number of married same-sex couples has more than doubled to an estimated 823,000, according to June data compiled by the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law.
Not all Americans supported the change. A , a then-clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky, who refused to issue marriage licenses on religious grounds. She was briefly jailed, touching off weeks of protests as same-sex marriage foes around the country praised her defiance.
Davis, a Republican, . She was thousands of dollars in attorney fees incurred by a couple who were unable to get a license from her office. She , in a challenge that seeks to overturn Obergefell.
As he reflects on the 10th anniversary of the ruling, Obergefell has expressed worry about the state of LGBTQ+ rights in the country and the possibility that a case could reach the Supreme Court that might overturn the decision.
Eight states introduced resolutions this year urging a reversal, and the Southern Baptist Convention at its meeting in Dallas this month in favor of banning same-sex marriage and overturning Obergefell. Meanwhile more than a dozen states have moved to strengthen legal protections for same-sex married couples in case the decision is overturned.
Polling from Gallup shows that is higher in 2025 than it was a decade ago: About 7 in 10 people surveyed said same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, up from 60% in May 2015.
