Recognizing June 26, 2025, as Marriage Equality Day.

89(R) HR 1401 - Introduced version - Bill Text

89R11970 BK-D

By: González of Dallas

H.R. No. 1401

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court

issued a landmark decision in the case of
Obergefell v. Hodges
,

granting same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states; and

WHEREAS, The ruling capped more than a decade of legal and

judicial action on the issue; in 2003, Massachusetts became the

first state to allow same-sex marriage; by 2015, 35 other states and

the District of Columbia had followed suit, but 14 states continued

to bar the practice; and

WHEREAS, In February 2014, a federal lawsuit was filed on

behalf of four same-sex couples, setting off a flurry of litigation

in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee from plaintiffs seeking

recognition for out-of-state marriages and petitioning courts to

overturn existing marriage bans; in November of that year, the

state bans on marriage rights were upheld by the U.S. Court of

Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, setting the stage for action by the

U.S. Supreme Court; in January 2015, the justices of the high court

agreed to grant review of the cases, which were consolidated under

the title
Obergefell v. Hodges
; and

WHEREAS, The court's deliberations concerned the question of

whether same-sex couples were guaranteed the right to marry under

the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; on June 26,

2015, the historic ruling was handed down in a five-to-four vote,

with the court asserting that states may not "bar same-sex couples

from marriage on the same terms accorded to couples of the opposite

sex"; and

WHEREAS, The Supreme Court's decision in
Obergefell v. Hodges

was a crucial turning point in the long struggle to achieve justice

and equality under the law for LGBTQ Americans, and it is fitting to

reflect on the ruling's tremendous historical significance on the

occasion of its 10th anniversary; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas

Legislature hereby recognize June 26, 2025, as Marriage Equality

Day and pay tribute to all those who have worked to secure equal

marriage rights.