Friday brought a long-awaited victory for supporters of same-sex marriage.
The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that the Constitution guarantees same sex couples the right to marriage. Justice Anthony Kennedy who wrote for the majority, said, ““No longer may this liberty be denied… No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.”
Joining Justice Kennedy in the majority opinion were Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer.
Dissenters were Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Antonin Scalia, who wrote in his dissent, “Until the courts put a stop to it, public debate over same-sex marriage displayed American democracy at its best. But the Court ends this debate, in an opinion lacking even a thin veneer of law.” Commenting on his colleagues in the majority, he said, “The opinion is couched in a style that is as pretentious as its content is egotistic.”
The decision impacts the 13 that had banned same-sex marriage. Following the decision, hundreds of people gathered outside court, waving rainbow flags and holding up signs. President Obama commented on the decision, saying that it “affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts.”
In a statement, Greenwich Selectman Drew Marzullo said, “The Supreme Court in today’s historic decision upheld equality of LBGT individuals everywhere.”
“After 25 years of legal challenges the high court said in no uncertain terms that who you love, who you want to spend your life with will no longer be looked at as something wrong,” Marzullo continued.
“History will show that Justice Kennedy and his beautifully written majority opinion got it so right. And when you read the part about family and what this really means to our children, I can’t help but smile and at the same time tear up. I also smile thinking about Justice Scalia having a complete meltdown at this point. It’s a different type of smile though.” – Greenwich Selectman, Drew Marzullo