Supreme Court Rules Gay Couples Have Right to Marry in America

The Supreme Court voted in a historic 5-4 ruling Friday that states cannot ban same-sex marriage, giving gay Americans their biggest civil rights victory to date. Now under the Constitution, same-sex couples will now be allowed to marry no matter where they live.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in the 5 to 4 decision.

“The court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them,” Kennedy wrote.

The decision comes after decades of debate and legal battle. While many critics opposed the idea, a sudden change in public opinion pushed the court to make a ruling. The battle for same-sex rights has been referred to by many as the most trying civil right issue of recent times.

11 years ago, the country’s first legally recognized same-sex marriage took place in Massachusetts, resulting from a Supreme Court ruling.

Recent polls have shown most Americans were already in favor of same-sex marriage.