Same-sex marriage has been the talk of the town in the world of politics for months now as states across the nation continue to approve marriage equality for same-sex couples. And although some politicians are still staunchly opposed to marriage equality, President Obama recently challenged those who would deny same-sex couples the right to marry.
Obama discussed the subject in a new interview with the New Yorker, in which he was asked to reveal his pick for the best Supreme Court decision of his tenure.
“In some ways, the decision that was just handed down to not do anything about what states are doing on same-sex marriage may end up being as consequential — from my perspective, a positive sense — as anything that’s been done,” the president said. “Because I think it really signals that although the Court was not quite ready — it didn’t have sufficient votes to follow Loving v. Virginia and go ahead and indicate an equal-protection right across the board — it was a consequential and powerful signal of the changes that have taken place in society and that the law is having to catch up.”
Obama went on to say that he believes that it’s constitutionally right for all states to support marriage equality.
“Ultimately, I think the Equal Protection Clause does guarantee same-sex marriage in all 50 states,” he said. “But, as you know, courts have always been strategic. There have been times where the stars were aligned and the Court, like a thunderbolt, issues a ruling like Brown v. Board of Education, but that’s pretty rare. And, given the direction of society, for the Court to have allowed the process to play out the way it has may make the shift less controversial and more lasting.”
Hopefully, when the world looks back on this time, it will be evident that President Obama and millions of others in support of marriage equality were on the right side of history. – nicholas robinson
