Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday June 26, 2015, after the court declared that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the US.
President Barack Obama has hailed as "a victory for America" the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry anywhere in the United States.
The court ruled 5-4 that the U.S. Constitution＇s guarantees of due process and equal protection for all overrule any state＇s attempt to outlaw same-sex marriages.
Currently, gay and lesbian couples are able to marry in 36 states and in the nation＇s capital city. This ruling will extend those marriage rights to all 50 states.
"This decision will end the uncertainty hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples face. It will strengthen all of our communities," Obama said at the White House after the historic ruling.
"Progress often comes in small increments, sometimes two steps forward, one step back," he continued. "Sometimes, there are days like this – when that slow, steady effort is rewarded with justice that arrives like a thunderbolt."
"America should be very proud," Obama said.
The president also telephoned the lead plaintiff in the case, Jim Obergefell, congratulating him on live television.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said on Twitter the ruling was a “shocking abuse of power, and will never be accepted.”
Speaker of the House John Boehner issued a statement, saying he was "disappointed that the Supreme Court disregarded the democratically enacted will of millions of Americans by forcing states to redefine the institution of marriage."
Boehner＇s statement also said that "marriage is a sacred vow between one man and one woman, and I believe Americans should be able to live and work according to their beliefs."
Representative Nancy Pelosi, leader of Democrats in the House, called the Supreme Court＇s ruling on gay marriage a “transformative” decision, saying the ruling “unequivocally affirmed that equal justice under the law means marriage equality” for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender Americans.
“This decision is about creating a future where loving, committed families are able to live with dignity. This is about freedom. This is about love,” she said.
According to Scotusblog.com, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion: "It is now clear that the challenged laws burden the liberty of same-sex couples, and it must be further acknowledged that they abridge central precepts of equality.
”Especially against a long history of disapproval of their relationships, this denial to same-sex couples of the right to marry works a grave and continuing harm. The imposition of this disability on gays and lesbians serves to disrespect and subordinate them. And the Equal Protection Clause, like the Due Process Clause, prohibits this unjustified infringement of the fundamental right to marry," Kennedy wrote.
The blog also quoted Chief Justice Robert’s dissent as saying: "If you are among the many Americans – of whatever sexual orientation – who favor expanding same-sex marriage, by all means celebrate today＇s decision.
"Celebrate the achievement of a desired goal. Celebrate the opportunity for a new expression of commitment to a partner. Celebrate the availability of new benefits. But do not celebrate the Constitution. It had nothing to do with it," his dissent continued.
The outcome is the culmination of two decades of Supreme Court litigation over marriage, and gay rights generally.
The ruling is the Supreme Court＇s most important expansion of marriage rights in the United States since its landmark 1967 ruling in the case Loving v. Virginia that struck down state laws barring interracial marriages.
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