Obergefell v. Hodges

"It is essential to our understanding of what it means to be a free and equal person."

"Marriage responds to the universal fear that a lonely person might call out only to find no one there."

"It offers the hope of companionship and understanding and assurance that there is someone to care for the other all the time."

"For generations, this institution has made those commitments visibly binding and materially transformative."

"Same-sex couples, too, may aspire to these ideals and their families, including children, may have their families placed on a stable legal footing."

"The nation's courts are open to hear their claims."

"No legitimate state interest serves to exclude them from marriage."

"This is the first of three reasons why the right to same-sex marriage is protected under the Constitution."

"The nature of injustice is that we may not always see it in our own times."

"The generations that wrote and ratified the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment did not presume to know the extent of freedom in all of its dimensions."

"Liberty protects substantive rights and interests through a requirement that improper governmental intrusions be subject to meaningful judicial review."

"History and tradition guide and discipline this inquiry but do not set its outer boundaries."

"The dignity of the person is a central concern of those provisions."

"The Constitution's protections are not reserved to heterosexual couples."

"As the majority wrote, 'They do not seek to have any religious marriage performed that is contrary to the tenets of their faith.'"

"Same-sex couples simply want to be treated as equals under the law."

"The laws challenged here deny them this basic right."

"Many who deem same-sex marriage to be wrong reach that conclusion based on decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises."

"They should not be treated as enemies."

"When the rights of persons are violated, the harmed individual and the wider society both suffer injury."

"Those who founded our country framed the Constitution to serve justice."

"Marriage is of transcendent importance for all."

"Its role in symbolizing the validity of relationships is universally understood."

"The exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage is a grave and continuing harm."

"It serves to disrespect and subordinate gay and lesbian couples."

"The State cannot, consistent with the guarantee of equal protection, use its powers to embody and perpetuate a stigma."

"The petitioners' consents and commitments are not entitled to the same recognition as others."

"This is a form of discrimination that the Constitution does not permit."

"Love is noble, love is transcendent, and love is worthy of legal recognition."

"The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, and the liberty interest here is substantial."