Which case legalized same-sex marriage nationwide?

• A. Lawrence v. Texas
• B. United States v. Windsor
• C. Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)
• D. Brown v. Board of Education

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that the Constitution protects a fundamental right to marry, and this protection extends to same-sex couples nationwide. In Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), the Supreme Court held that by due process and equal protection guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment, same-sex couples have a right to marry just as opposite-sex couples do. Because of that, states must both issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.

This decision built on United States v. Windsor, which struck down the federal government’s denial of federal recognition to same-sex marriages, but Windsor alone did not compel states to change their marriage laws. The other cases—Lawrence v. Texas, which protected intimate consensual relationships, and Brown v. Board of Education, which addressed racial segregation in schools—address different issues and do not establish nationwide marriage rights.

So, Obergefell v. Hodges is the case that finally required all states to license and recognize same-sex marriages across the United States.