Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf
Page Number: 8

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

3 

Opinion of the Court 

Tennessee,  and,  again,  Kentucky,  is  whether  the  Four-
teenth  Amendment  requires  a  State  to  recognize  a  same-
sex marriage licensed and performed in a State which does
grant that right. 

II 
Before  addressing  the  principles  and  precedents  that
govern these cases, it is appropriate to note the history of 
the subject now before the Court. 

A 
From  their  beginning  to  their  most  recent  page,  the 
annals  of  human  history  reveal  the  transcendent  im-
portance  of  marriage.    The  lifelong  union  of  a  man  and  a 
woman  always  has  promised  nobility  and  dignity  to  all
persons,  without  regard  to  their  station  in  life.    Marriage
is  sacred  to  those  who  live  by  their  religions  and  offers
unique fulfillment to those who find meaning in the secu-
lar realm.  Its dynamic allows two people to find a life that 
could  not  be  found  alone,  for  a  marriage  becomes  greater
than  just  the  two  persons.  Rising  from  the  most  basic 
human  needs,  marriage  is  essential  to  our  most  profound
hopes and aspirations. 

The  centrality  of  marriage  to  the  human  condition
makes it unsurprising that the institution has existed for 
millennia  and  across  civilizations.    Since  the  dawn  of 
history,  marriage  has  transformed  strangers  into  rela-
tives,  binding  families  and  societies  together.    Confucius 
taught that marriage lies at the foundation of government. 
2  Li  Chi:  Book  of  Rites  266  (C.  Chai  &  W.  Chai  eds.,  J. 
Legge  transl.  1967).    This  wisdom  was  echoed  centuries 
later  and  half  a  world  away  by  Cicero,  who  wrote,  “The
first  bond  of  society  is  marriage;  next,  children;  and  then
the  family.”  See  De  Officiis  57  (W.  Miller  transl.  1913).
There  are  untold  references  to  the  beauty  of  marriage  in
religious  and  philosophical  texts  spanning  time,  cultures,