When the United States of America was founded, sodomy was a capital offense. As recently as 1962 it was a crime in all 50 states of the Union. As recently as 1986 the Supreme Court upheld Georgia’s sodomy law. It wasn’t until 2003 that the Supreme Court decided Lawrence v. Texas, finally striking down the remaining sodomy laws still on the books in 14 states. At the time, a sodomy conviction still carried the possibility of a life sentence in Idaho.
Today, we as a nation rise to a better place led by a new and historic decision by our Supreme Court making marriage equality the law of the land. The case is Obergefell v. Hodges. Justice Kennedy joined the four liberals to bring the case to its 5 -4 decision. Each of the four conservatives filed a separate dissent according to reports.
An additional article will follow after I have had time to read the decision.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.