What is Obergefell v. Hodges and what right did it recognize?

• A. It recognized the constitutional right to same-sex marriage nationwide under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses.
• B. It restricted same-sex marriage rights.
• C. It created a federal marriage license system.
• D. It prohibits same-sex marriage nationwide.

Answer: (A)

Obergefell v. Hodges holds that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry nationwide, grounded in the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses. The Court treated marriage as a fundamental liberty, so banning it for same-sex couples violates due process, and treating same-sex couples differently from opposite-sex couples violates equal protection. The ruling also requires states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, creating a uniform nationwide right.