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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court |
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issued a landmark decision in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, |
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granting same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states; and |
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WHEREAS, The ruling capped more than a decade of legal and |
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judicial action on the issue; in 2003, Massachusetts became the |
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first state to allow same-sex marriage; by 2015, 35 other states and |
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the District of Columbia had followed suit, but 14 states continued |
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to bar the practice; and |
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WHEREAS, In February 2014, a federal lawsuit was filed on |
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behalf of four same-sex couples, setting off a flurry of litigation |
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in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee from plaintiffs seeking |
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recognition for out-of-state marriages and petitioning courts to |
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overturn existing marriage bans; in November of that year, the |
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state bans on marriage rights were upheld by the U.S. Court of |
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Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, setting the stage for action by the |
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U.S. Supreme Court; in January 2015, the justices of the high court |
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agreed to grant review of the cases, which were consolidated under |
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the title Obergefell v. Hodges; and |
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WHEREAS, The court's deliberations concerned the question of |
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whether same-sex couples were guaranteed the right to marry under |
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the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; on June 26, |
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2015, the historic ruling was handed down in a five-to-four vote, |
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with the court asserting that states may not "bar same-sex couples |
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from marriage on the same terms accorded to couples of the opposite |
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sex"; and |
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WHEREAS, The Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges |
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was a crucial turning point in the long struggle to achieve justice |
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and equality under the law for LGBTQ Americans, and it is fitting to |
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reflect on the ruling's tremendous historical significance on the |
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occasion of its 10th anniversary; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize June 26, 2025, as Marriage Equality |
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Day and pay tribute to all those who have worked to secure equal |
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marriage rights. |