The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request to consider overturning the historic Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. The refusal to revisit the case marks a huge success for LGBTQ+ Americans, especially after the Trump Administration has put limiting LGBTQ+ rights at the front of its political agenda.
According to NYT, the court declined the petition filed by Kim Davis, without comment. Kim Davis is the former Kentucky county clerk who went viral for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses due to religious beliefs back in 2015. She petitioned for the Supreme Court to reverse an order that required that she pay over $300,000 to the couple she denied a marriage license to. In order to revisit the case, four of the nine justices would have needed to vote in Davis’ favor.
Mary Bonauto, the attorney who argued in favor of Obergefell in the 2015 same-sex marriage case, said in a statement: “Today, millions of Americans can breathe a sigh of relief for their families, current or hoped for, because all families deserve equal rights under the law.”
Various advocacy groups celebrated the decision. Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign said “when public officials take an oath to serve their communities, that promise extends to everyone, including LGBTQ+ people. The Supreme Court made clear today that refusing to respect the constitutional rights of others does not come without consequences.”
Though some are still nervous other efforts to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges will still continue, the Supreme Court’s current judges made a statement about marriage equality.
“Today, love won again,” Robinson said.
