Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf
Page Number: 28.0

Cite as:  576 U. S. ____ (2015) 

23 

Opinion of the Court 

longer may this liberty be denied to them.  Baker v. Nelson 
must  be  and  now  is  overruled,  and  the  State  laws  chal-
lenged  by  Petitioners  in  these  cases  are  now  held  invalid 
to  the  extent  they  exclude  same-sex  couples  from  civil 
marriage  on  the  same  terms  and  conditions  as  opposite-
sex couples. 

IV 

There  may  be  an  initial  inclination  in  these  cases  to 
proceed  with  caution—to  await  further  legislation,  litiga-
tion,  and  debate.    The  respondents  warn  there  has  been
insufficient  democratic  discourse  before  deciding  an  issue
so basic as the definition of marriage.  In its ruling on the
cases  now  before  this  Court,  the  majority  opinion  for  the 
Court of Appeals made a cogent argument that it would be
appropriate  for  the  respondents’  States  to  await  further
public  discussion  and  political  measures  before  licensing 
same-sex marriages.  See DeBoer, 772 F. 3d, at 409. 

Yet  there  has  been  far  more  deliberation  than  this 
argument  acknowledges.  There  have  been  referenda, 
legislative  debates,  and  grassroots  campaigns,  as  well  as
countless  studies,  papers,  books,  and  other  popular  and
scholarly writings.  There has been extensive litigation in
state and federal courts.  See Appendix A, infra.  Judicial 
opinions  addressing  the  issue  have  been  informed  by  the 
contentions  of  parties  and  counsel,  which,  in  turn,  reflect
the more general, societal discussion of same-sex marriage 
and  its  meaning  that  has occurred over  the  past decades. 
As more than 100 amici make clear in their filings, many 
of the central institutions in American life—state and local 
governments,  the  military,  large  and  small  businesses,
labor  unions,  religious  organizations,  law  enforcement,
civic groups, professional organizations, and universities—
have  devoted  substantial  attention  to  the  question.  This 
has  led  to  an  enhanced  understanding  of  the  issue—an 
understanding  reflected  in  the  arguments  now  presented