Gay couples have a legal right to marry, SCOTUS ruled today.
“The court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them,” wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Washington Post reports.
The 5-4 ruling comes as a legal confirmation of the rapidly changing tide of public sentiment towards legalizing same-sex marriage, which was legal in only four states until the last five years, but saw 33 more states rule in favor since 2010.
“Today the Supreme Court affirmed that fairness under the law belongs to everyone," Jim Wallis, Sojourners president, said. "Today we took another step toward living up to our highest ideals. It is true, as Justice Kennedy said, that ‘the nature of injustice is that we don't always see it in our own time.’ But when we do see it, we must act to overcome it.”
Self-identifying Christians have moved to support for same-sex marriage in roughly the same numbers as the nation as a whole — "going somewhat against traditional thought," according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
While support for same-sex marriage rose by 22 percent from 2003 to 2014 (to 54 percent in favor) among all Americans, Catholics and White Mainline Protestants showed support in even greater numbers (60 percent and 62 percent, respectively). Support among White Evangelical Prostestants and Black Protestants, however, was much lower (28 and 38 percent percent, respectively).
Read the full opinion here.
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