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Summary Of Same-Sex Marriage : Obergefell V. Hodges

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Same-Sex Marriage
The case Obergefell v. Hodges was a fight for the rights given to us in the equal protection clause and due process clause which are both under the Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. The due process clause prohibits state and local government officials from depriving persons of life, liberty, or property without legislative authorization. The equal protection clause requires each state to provide equal protection under the law to all people, including all non-citizens, within its jurisdiction. Overall the justice system was asked two questions: does the Constitution require states to allow same-sex couples to marry and are the states required to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples who were legally married in another state.
Obergefell v. Hodges is actually made up of six same-sex union cases from Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee. These couples challenged their states in court over the ban on same-sex marriage and refusal to recognize legal same-sex marriages. In all of these cases, the trial courts were in favor of the plaintiffs until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Kentucky denied the ruling on the grounds that it does not violate the equal protection and due process clause stated in the Fourteenth Amendment. In one case, James Obergefell from Ohio is arguing that his marriage in Maryland (a state where it is legal for same-sex couples to marry) to his partner John Arthur should be recognized in Ohio. When

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