Decision 2015: 3 Ways the Supreme Court Could Rule on Marriage

June 23, 2015

June 23, 2015

Like you, Equality Federation staff and board are on pins and needles with anticipation for the Supreme Court’s ruling on the freedom to marry. At press time, the Court has indicated that a decision could be issued on Thursday, Friday, or Monday.

Regardless of how the Court rules, our movement has much to be proud of at this historic moment. We are especially proud of the role our members, the state-based equality groups, have played in growing public support for the freedom to marry to more than 60%. For the past 15+ years, many organizations have canvassed, joined amicus briefs, lobbied their legislators, and amplified the power of the thousands of brave couples willing to share their stories, to bring us to this day.

There are three possible outcomes when the Justices issue their ruling:

  • Victory! The Court could grant us the freedom to marry nationwide by ruling that marriage bans are unconstitutional.
  • The Court could rule that non-marriage states must respect marriages legally performed elsewhere, but that those states can keep in place their discriminatory bans.
  • The Court could rule that marriage bans do not violate the Constitution and that non-marriage states do not have to respect the legal marriages of same-sex couples.

We, along with the legal groups and other movement leaders, are feeling very hopeful about the outcome, but no matter what, we know that we have made enormous progress and we will continue to harness that progress until, finally, all Americans are protected from discrimination under the law.

On the day the Court rules we will be updating our blog and social media with analysis and resources. 

More You might like

Press Release: Equality Federation Reacts to 2024 Election Results

Equality Federation responds to the results of the November 5, 2024, Presidential election and many Congressional, Senate, state, and local election results.

September 6, 2024
Elections 2024: A Rainbow Wave?

As of today, Equality Federation has finalized $240,000 in seed grants for our partners' electoral work. Many groups have been using these grants to leverage more funding. However, members still report that they need to raise $6M to contact every voter we need to win. Help us move more resources quickly to states with the greatest needs.

September 6, 2024
Reflecting on Leadership Conference 2024

We held our largest Leadership Conference to date, with 360+ attendees from across the country coming together to build relationships and learn from one another. 

September 6, 2024
A young man looking up, smilingA young man smiling straight at the camera
Confident young woman standing with crossed arms.

Want To Make A Difference? Support Our Work

With your support, we'll be able to continue our work to build the leaders of today and tomorrow, strengthen state-based LGBTQ+ organizations, and make critical progress on the issues that matter most—like protecting transgender people, ending HIV criminalization and ensuring access to care, and banning conversion therapy across the country.