WASHINGTON: The U.S. Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the country, in a culmination of two decades of litigation over marriage, and gay rights generally.
"No union is more profound than marriage," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy, joined by the court's four more liberal justices.
Gay and lesbian couples already could marry in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The court's 5-4 ruling means the remaining 14 states, in the South and Midwest, will have to stop enforcing their bans on same-sex marriage.
President Barack Obama welcomed the decision via Twitter, calling it "a big step in our march toward equality."