Obergefell V. Hodges - Blog Posts

“It’s not that we’re fighting for special rights just for us. We’re fighting for the same rights.” — Jim Obergefell

Nine years ago today, the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges recognized a simple truth: love is love. 

This decision ruled that all states must license marriages to same-sex couples and recognize marriages lawfully performed out of state. Obergefell v. Hodges guaranteed marriage equality in a monumental ruling for the LGBTQIA+ community. 🏳️‍🌈

As predicted, they're coming for Obergefell.

Idaho has, today--01/01/2025--asked the US Supreme Court to revoke Obergefell v. Hodges, and strike down the legality of gay marriage.

Advocate.com

Idaho Republicans file resolution to repeal marriage equality

They want to return to a so-called “natural definition” of marriage as between one man and one woman.

Christopher Wiggins at The Advocate:

Idaho Republican legislators have introduced a resolution on Tuesday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision that established marriage equality nationwide. The measure, House Joint Memorial 1, claims the Supreme Court overstepped its authority by requiring states to recognize same-sex marriages. It also calls for a return to the so-called “natural definition” of marriage as between one man and one woman, a concept supporters insist is rooted in tradition. The non-binding resolution, spearheaded by the State Affairs Committee, asserts that states and not federal courts should decide marriage laws. While the resolution carries no legal weight, its introduction sends a clear signal about the state GOP’s priorities. “The Idaho Legislature insists on restoring the issue of marriage and enforcement of all laws pertaining to marriage back to the several states and the people,” the resolution reads.

The move comes even as a majority of Americans—including majorities of Democrats and independents and nearly half of Republicans—support marriage equality. A 2024 Gallup survey found that 69 percent of Americans favor the legality of same-sex marriages, a figure that has remained consistently high since the Obergefell ruling.

[...] Idaho’s resolution echoes a growing movement among conservative lawmakers to challenge LGBTQ+ rights at the state level. Across the country, Republican-led legislatures have introduced bills targeting everything from transgender health care to drag performances. The resolution also aligns with Justice Clarence Thomas’s recent remarks in his concurring opinion in the Dobbs case that overturned Roe v. Wade, which in 2022 called for reconsidering cases like Obergefell as part of a broader critique of substantive due process—the legal principle underpinning marriage equality and other rights, such as access to contraception.

Idaho House Republicans file out-of-touch resolution HJM1 to urge the SCOTUS to repeal Obergefell v. Hodges.

See Also:

LGBTQ Nation: Republican asks Supreme Court to condemn & overturn same-sex marriage