Supreme Court Declines to Revisit Landmark Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, Upholding Obergefell v. Hodges

Supreme Court Affirms Same-Sex Marriage Rights

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, November 10, 2025, announced its decision to decline hearing a challenge to its pivotal 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage across the United States. This move effectively upholds the precedent set by Obergefell v. Hodges, signaling that the nation's highest court has no current intention of revisiting the constitutional right to marriage equality. The Court's rejection of the petition was issued in a brief, unsigned order, without any accompanying comment from the justices.

The Challenge from Kim Davis

The petition rejected by the Supreme Court was filed by Kim Davis, a former county clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky. Davis gained national attention in 2015 when, citing her religious beliefs, she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the *Obergefell v. Hodges* decision. Her refusal led to her being jailed for contempt of court. Subsequently, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling that ordered Davis to pay $100,000 in damages to David Moore and David Ermold, a gay couple she had denied a marriage license. Davis's appeal to the Supreme Court sought to overturn this financial penalty and, more broadly, to prompt a reconsideration of the *Obergefell v. Hodges* ruling itself.

Obergefell v. Hodges: A Decade of Precedent

The landmark decision of Obergefell v. Hodges, delivered on June 26, 2015, established that the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to marry for same-sex couples. This ruling mandated that all states must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognize same-sex marriages lawfully performed in other jurisdictions. The decision was a 5-4 ruling, with Justice Anthony Kennedy authoring the majority opinion. The Supreme Court's refusal to hear Davis's case reinforces the stability of this decade-old precedent, indicating a lack of desire among the current justices to disrupt established marriage equality.

Broader Context and Reactions

The Court's decision comes amidst ongoing discussions about the future of established rights, particularly after the 2022 overturning of *Roe v. Wade*. While some LGBTQ+ advocates expressed concerns that same-sex marriage rights could be targeted next, legal analysts have pointed to key differences, including the fact that over 800,000 same-sex couples are now legally married in the United States. Furthermore, the Respect for Marriage Act, passed by Congress in 2022, provides federal protections by requiring states to recognize existing same-sex and interracial marriages.

Advocacy groups have lauded the Supreme Court's action. Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal, described the decision not to hear the 'frivolous case' as a victory 'for everyone who believes in our constitution and the rule of law.' The ACLU affirmed that 'Our freedom to marry remains the law of the land,' while the Human Rights Campaign declared, 'Love is (still) love.' Bill Powell, an attorney for David Moore and David Ermold, stated that the denial of review confirms the constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples.