By Susan Schoenfeld, JD
In late June, in Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires states to license a marriage between two people of the same sex, and to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state.
The opinion, authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, makes same-sex marriage lawful in all states nationwide and has far-reaching implications in the 13 states that did not recognize same-sex marriage. The Court’s decision also simplifies and expands the application of a number of state and federal laws that grant certain rights and protections to spouses, including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Read more here.