This video captures President Barack Obama calling Jim Obergefell on live television to congratulate him on the historic Supreme Court decision in the case that bore his name, which allowed same-sex marriage across the country. It was posted on YouTube by the Obama White House, and includes footage from CNN and of President Obama calling from the Oval Office.
In Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court ruled that the right to marry is a fundamental liberty and is protected under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment. The decision required states to both issue marriage licenses between same-sex couples and recognize marriages between same-sex couples performed in any state.
The decision came exactly two years after the decision in United States v. Windsor required the Federal Government to treat same-sex marriages equally under the law.
Obergefell v. Hodges originated as the lower court case case of Obergefell v. Kasich in 2013. James Obergefell and his husband, John Arthur, sued Ohio Governor John Kasich for discrimination against same-sex couples who married lawfully out of state and, later, to force the state of Ohio to recognize same-sex unions on death certificates.
Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case, is the amalgamation of four court cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee—Obergefell v. Hodges (2014), Tanco v. Haslam (2013), Bourke v. Beshear (2013), and DeBoer v. Snyder (2012)—all challenging the constitutionality of those states’ bans on same-sex marriage.
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, Obergefell said, “No other person will learn at the most painful moment of married life, the death of a spouse, that their lawful marriage will be disregarded by the state. No married couple who moves will suddenly become two single persons because their new state ignores their lawful marriage.”
