On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court voted in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges to confirm the right to marry for same-sex couples in all 50 states. Kim Davis, a county clerk in Kentucky, was jailed in 2015 for refusing to issue a marriage license to a gay couple due to her religious beliefs. In a case before the US Supreme Court this year, Davis is appealing that decision. Davis claims that the First Amendment protects her right to act in accordance with her religious beliefs, even while acting as a representative of the county and state government. Writing for ABC News, Devin Dwyer wrote, “A federal appeals court panel concluded earlier this year that the former clerk ‘cannot raise the First Amendment as a defense because she is being held liable for state action, which the First Amendment does not protect’.” Davis appealed this decision, which is now before the highest court in the United States.
According to a 2025 Gallup poll, 68% of Americans believe same-sex marriage should be a legal right, although they found that this number varies widely across party lines: “Among Republicans, support has notably dipped over the past decade, down from 55% in 2021 to 41% this year.”
The Gallup poll also found that younger people from 18 to 34 are more likely (79%) to agree that same sex marriage should be valid than people over 55 (60%).
Itzel Urbina, a sophomore at Chandler High School, agrees that same-sex marriage should remain legal across the country. “Why does the thought of someone marrying the same sex bother you so much,” she wondered. “You’re not living their life, so why do you have to control it?”
While some are worried about the outcome of this Supreme Court decision, others says there is no need to panic. The National Center for LGBTQ Rights wrote, “But even if things were to change someday and the Supreme Court overturned its marriage equality decision, that wouldn’t invalidate anyone’s existing marriage, and it wouldn’t prevent couples from continuing to marry in many states” (nclrights.org).
