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Lesson Plan: How the Supreme Court Ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges Legalized Same-Sex Marriage

When Jim Obergefell and his partner John Arthur decided to marry after more than 20 years together, they faced a formidable obstacle: their home state of Ohio refused to recognize same-sex marriages. With John terminally ill, the couple chartered a medical jet to Maryland, where their marriage would be legal. Their decision set in motion a legal challenge that reached the Supreme Court in 2015, as Obergefell v. Hodges. The court ruled 5 to 4 that the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause requires all states to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples.

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