{
  "id": "R44143",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R44143",
  "active": true,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 443674,
      "date": "2015-08-07",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:38:04.049207",
      "title": "Obergefell v. Hodges: Same-Sex Marriage Legalized",
      "summary": "On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges requiring states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize same-sex marriages that were legally formed in other states. In doing so, the Court resolved a circuit split regarding the constitutionality of state same-sex marriage bans and legalized same-sex marriage throughout the country. The Court\u2019s decision relied on the Fourteenth Amendment\u2019s equal protection and due process guarantees.\nUnder the Fourteenth Amendment\u2019s Equal Protection Clause, state action that classifies groups of individuals may be subject to heightened levels of judicial scrutiny, depending on the type of classification involved or whether the classification interferes with a fundamental right. Additionally, under the Fourteenth Amendment\u2019s substantive due process guarantees, state action that infringes upon a fundamental right\u2014such as the right to marry\u2014is subject to a high level of judicial scrutiny.\nIn striking down state same-sex marriage bans as unconstitutional in Obergefell, the Court rested its decision upon the fundamental right to marry. The Court acknowledged that its precedents have described the fundamental right to marry in terms of opposite-sex relationships. Even so, the Court determined that the reasons why the right to marry is considered fundamental apply equally to same-sex marriages. The Court thus held that the fundamental right to marry extends to same-sex couples, and that state same-sex marriage bans unconstitutionally interfere with this right.\nThough the Supreme Court\u2019s decision in Obergefell resolved the question of whether or not state same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional, it raised a number of other questions. These include questions regarding, among other things, Obergefell\u2019s broader impact on the rights of gay individuals; the proper level of judicial scrutiny applicable to classifications based on sexual orientation; what the decision might mean for laws prohibiting plural marriages; the Court\u2019s approach to recognizing fundamental rights moving forward; and the proper level of judicial scrutiny applicable to governmental action interfering with fundamental rights. This report explores these questions.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": true,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44143",
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Constitutional Questions"
  ]
}