Obergefell v. Hodges
576 U.S. 644 · Decided June 26, 2015 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Obergefell v. Hodges was decided on June 26, 2015 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Due process, miscellaneous” in the Due Process area. SCDB codes this decision as formally altering one or more of the Court's own precedents. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 576 U.S. 644 · 135 S. Ct. 2584 · 192 L. Ed. 2d 609 · 2015 U.S. LEXIS 4250
- Docket number
- 14-556
- Decided
- June 26, 2015
- Argued
- April 28, 2015
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Due process, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Altered precedent
- Yes — formally altered the Court's precedent
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Obergefell v. Hodges
SCDB identifiers: case 2014-070, docket 2014-070-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Due process, miscellaneous”
- United States v. WindsorLaw held unconstitutional
- Pavan v. SmithLaw held unconstitutional
- Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations, Inc.
- Kahler v. Kansas
- Eric Michael Clark v. Arizona
- Keshia Cherie Ashford Dixon v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Wearry v. Cain
- Shawn Patrick Lynch v. Arizona
- Williams v. Pennsylvania
- Whole Woman's Health v. HellerstedtLaw held unconstitutional
- Walden v. Fiore
- Daimlerchrysler Ag v. Bauman
Same Term, same area (Due Process)
- Horne v. Department of AgricultureLaw held unconstitutional
- Johnson v. United StatesAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error