CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html class="client-nojs vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-sticky-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-night-mode-enabled skin-theme-clientpref-day vector-toc-available" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>Goodridge v. Department of Public Health - Wikipedia</title> <script>(function(){var className="client-js vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-sticky-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-night-mode-enabled skin-theme-clientpref-day vector-toc-available";var cookie=document.cookie.match(/(?:^|; )enwikimwclientpreferences=([^;]+)/);if(cookie){cookie[1].split('%2C').forEach(function(pref){className=className.replace(new RegExp('(^| )'+pref.replace(/-clientpref-\w+$|[^\w-]+/g,'')+'-clientpref-\\w+( |$)'),'$1'+pref+'$2');});}document.documentElement.className=className;}());RLCONF={"wgBreakFrames":false,"wgSeparatorTransformTable":["",""],"wgDigitTransformTable":["",""],"wgDefaultDateFormat":"dmy", "wgMonthNames":["","January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"wgRequestId":"9c20ef7f-06d9-48ed-89a0-d10d40baeaaa","wgCanonicalNamespace":"","wgCanonicalSpecialPageName":false,"wgNamespaceNumber":0,"wgPageName":"Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health","wgTitle":"Goodridge v. Department of Public Health","wgCurRevisionId":1251408327,"wgRevisionId":1251408327,"wgArticleId":371666,"wgIsArticle":true,"wgIsRedirect":false,"wgAction":"view","wgUserName":null,"wgUserGroups":["*"],"wgCategories":["Webarchive template wayback links","Articles with short description","Short description with empty Wikidata description","Use mdy dates from September 2023","Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2015","All articles containing potentially dated statements","LGBTQ rights in Massachusetts","Massachusetts state case law","2003 in United States case law","2003 in Massachusetts","2003 in LGBTQ history", "American Civil Liberties Union litigation","United States same-sex union case law"],"wgPageViewLanguage":"en","wgPageContentLanguage":"en","wgPageContentModel":"wikitext","wgRelevantPageName":"Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health","wgRelevantArticleId":371666,"wgIsProbablyEditable":true,"wgRelevantPageIsProbablyEditable":true,"wgRestrictionEdit":[],"wgRestrictionMove":[],"wgNoticeProject":"wikipedia","wgCiteReferencePreviewsActive":false,"wgFlaggedRevsParams":{"tags":{"status":{"levels":1}}},"wgMediaViewerOnClick":true,"wgMediaViewerEnabledByDefault":true,"wgPopupsFlags":0,"wgVisualEditor":{"pageLanguageCode":"en","pageLanguageDir":"ltr","pageVariantFallbacks":"en"},"wgMFDisplayWikibaseDescriptions":{"search":true,"watchlist":true,"tagline":false,"nearby":true},"wgWMESchemaEditAttemptStepOversample":false,"wgWMEPageLength":40000,"wgRelatedArticlesCompat":[],"wgCentralAuthMobileDomain":false,"wgEditSubmitButtonLabelPublish":true,"wgULSPosition":"interlanguage", "wgULSisCompactLinksEnabled":false,"wgVector2022LanguageInHeader":true,"wgULSisLanguageSelectorEmpty":false,"wgWikibaseItemId":"Q2072607","wgCheckUserClientHintsHeadersJsApi":["brands","architecture","bitness","fullVersionList","mobile","model","platform","platformVersion"],"GEHomepageSuggestedEditsEnableTopics":true,"wgGETopicsMatchModeEnabled":false,"wgGEStructuredTaskRejectionReasonTextInputEnabled":false,"wgGELevelingUpEnabledForUser":false};RLSTATE={"ext.globalCssJs.user.styles":"ready","site.styles":"ready","user.styles":"ready","ext.globalCssJs.user":"ready","user":"ready","user.options":"loading","ext.cite.styles":"ready","skins.vector.search.codex.styles":"ready","skins.vector.styles":"ready","skins.vector.icons":"ready","jquery.makeCollapsible.styles":"ready","ext.wikimediamessages.styles":"ready","ext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.noscript":"ready","ext.uls.interlanguage":"ready","wikibase.client.init":"ready","ext.wikimediaBadges":"ready"};RLPAGEMODULES=[ "ext.cite.ux-enhancements","site","mediawiki.page.ready","jquery.makeCollapsible","mediawiki.toc","skins.vector.js","ext.centralNotice.geoIP","ext.centralNotice.startUp","ext.gadget.ReferenceTooltips","ext.gadget.switcher","ext.urlShortener.toolbar","ext.centralauth.centralautologin","mmv.bootstrap","ext.popups","ext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.init","ext.visualEditor.targetLoader","ext.echo.centralauth","ext.eventLogging","ext.wikimediaEvents","ext.navigationTiming","ext.uls.interface","ext.cx.eventlogging.campaigns","ext.cx.uls.quick.actions","wikibase.client.vector-2022","ext.checkUser.clientHints","ext.growthExperiments.SuggestedEditSession","wikibase.sidebar.tracking"];</script> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.loader.impl(function(){return["user.options@12s5i",function($,jQuery,require,module){mw.user.tokens.set({"patrolToken":"+\\","watchToken":"+\\","csrfToken":"+\\"}); }];});});</script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=ext.cite.styles%7Cext.uls.interlanguage%7Cext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.noscript%7Cext.wikimediaBadges%7Cext.wikimediamessages.styles%7Cjquery.makeCollapsible.styles%7Cskins.vector.icons%2Cstyles%7Cskins.vector.search.codex.styles%7Cwikibase.client.init&only=styles&skin=vector-2022"> <script async="" src="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=startup&only=scripts&raw=1&skin=vector-2022"></script> <meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content=""> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=site.styles&only=styles&skin=vector-2022"> <meta name="generator" content="MediaWiki 1.44.0-wmf.4"> <meta name="referrer" content="origin"> <meta name="referrer" content="origin-when-cross-origin"> <meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:standard"> <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg/1200px-Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg.png"> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1200"> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1200"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg/800px-Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg.png"> <meta property="og:image:width" content="800"> <meta property="og:image:height" content="800"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg/640px-Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg.png"> <meta property="og:image:width" content="640"> <meta property="og:image:height" content="640"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=1120"> <meta property="og:title" content="Goodridge v. Department of Public Health - Wikipedia"> <meta property="og:type" content="website"> <link rel="preconnect" href="//upload.wikimedia.org"> <link rel="alternate" media="only screen and (max-width: 640px)" href="//en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/x-wiki" title="Edit this page" href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png"> <link rel="icon" href="/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico"> <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/w/rest.php/v1/search" title="Wikipedia (en)"> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" href="//en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=rsd"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health"> <link rel="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Wikipedia Atom feed" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&feed=atom"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//meta.wikimedia.org" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//login.wikimedia.org"> </head> <body class="skin--responsive skin-vector skin-vector-search-vue mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject mw-editable page-Goodridge_v_Department_of_Public_Health rootpage-Goodridge_v_Department_of_Public_Health skin-vector-2022 action-view"><a class="mw-jump-link" href="#bodyContent">Jump to content</a> <div class="vector-header-container"> <header class="vector-header mw-header"> <div class="vector-header-start"> <nav class="vector-main-menu-landmark" aria-label="Site"> <div id="vector-main-menu-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-main-menu-dropdown vector-button-flush-left vector-button-flush-right" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-main-menu-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-main-menu-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Main menu" > <label id="vector-main-menu-dropdown-label" for="vector-main-menu-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-menu mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-menu"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Main menu</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-main-menu-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> <div id="vector-main-menu" class="vector-main-menu vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-main-menu-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-unpinned" data-feature-name="main-menu-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-main-menu" data-pinned-container-id="vector-main-menu-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-main-menu-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Main menu</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-main-menu.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-main-menu.unpin">hide</button> </div> <div id="p-navigation" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-navigation" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Navigation </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="n-mainpage-description" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Main_Page" title="Visit the main page [z]" accesskey="z"><span>Main page</span></a></li><li id="n-contents" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents" title="Guides to browsing Wikipedia"><span>Contents</span></a></li><li id="n-currentevents" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Portal:Current_events" title="Articles related to current events"><span>Current events</span></a></li><li id="n-randompage" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:Random" title="Visit a randomly selected article [x]" accesskey="x"><span>Random article</span></a></li><li id="n-aboutsite" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:About" title="Learn about Wikipedia and how it works"><span>About Wikipedia</span></a></li><li id="n-contactpage" class="mw-list-item"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us" title="How to contact Wikipedia"><span>Contact us</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-interaction" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-interaction" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Contribute </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="n-help" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Help:Contents" title="Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia"><span>Help</span></a></li><li id="n-introduction" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Help:Introduction" title="Learn how to edit Wikipedia"><span>Learn to edit</span></a></li><li id="n-portal" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portal" title="The hub for editors"><span>Community portal</span></a></li><li id="n-recentchanges" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChanges" title="A list of recent changes to Wikipedia [r]" accesskey="r"><span>Recent changes</span></a></li><li id="n-upload" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:File_upload_wizard" title="Add images or other media for use on Wikipedia"><span>Upload file</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <a href="/wiki/Main_Page" class="mw-logo"> <img class="mw-logo-icon" src="/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png" alt="" aria-hidden="true" height="50" width="50"> <span class="mw-logo-container skin-invert"> <img class="mw-logo-wordmark" alt="Wikipedia" src="/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg" style="width: 7.5em; height: 1.125em;"> <img class="mw-logo-tagline" alt="The Free Encyclopedia" src="/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg" width="117" height="13" style="width: 7.3125em; height: 0.8125em;"> </span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-header-end"> <div id="p-search" role="search" class="vector-search-box-vue vector-search-box-collapses vector-search-box-show-thumbnail vector-search-box-auto-expand-width vector-search-box"> <a href="/wiki/Special:Search" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only search-toggle" title="Search Wikipedia [f]" accesskey="f"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-search mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-search"></span> <span>Search</span> </a> <div class="vector-typeahead-search-container"> <div class="cdx-typeahead-search cdx-typeahead-search--show-thumbnail cdx-typeahead-search--auto-expand-width"> <form action="/w/index.php" id="searchform" class="cdx-search-input cdx-search-input--has-end-button"> <div id="simpleSearch" class="cdx-search-input__input-wrapper" data-search-loc="header-moved"> <div class="cdx-text-input cdx-text-input--has-start-icon"> <input class="cdx-text-input__input" type="search" name="search" placeholder="Search Wikipedia" aria-label="Search Wikipedia" autocapitalize="sentences" title="Search Wikipedia [f]" accesskey="f" id="searchInput" > <span class="cdx-text-input__icon cdx-text-input__start-icon"></span> </div> <input type="hidden" name="title" value="Special:Search"> </div> <button class="cdx-button cdx-search-input__end-button">Search</button> </form> </div> </div> </div> <nav class="vector-user-links vector-user-links-wide" aria-label="Personal tools"> <div class="vector-user-links-main"> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-preferences" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-userpage" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown " title="Change the appearance of the page's font size, width, and color" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-appearance-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Appearance" > <label id="vector-appearance-dropdown-label" for="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-appearance mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-appearance"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Appearance</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-notifications" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-overflow" class="vector-menu mw-portlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm_source=donate&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en" class=""><span>Donate</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-createaccount-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Goodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory" class=""><span>Create account</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-login-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Goodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" title="You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]" accesskey="o" class=""><span>Log in</span></a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div id="vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-user-menu vector-button-flush-right vector-user-menu-logged-out" title="Log in and more options" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Personal tools" > <label id="vector-user-links-dropdown-label" for="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-ellipsis mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-ellipsis"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Personal tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-personal" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-personal user-links-collapsible-item" title="User menu" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm_source=donate&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en"><span>Donate</span></a></li><li id="pt-createaccount" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Goodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-userAdd mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-userAdd"></span> <span>Create account</span></a></li><li id="pt-login" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Goodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" title="You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]" accesskey="o"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-logIn mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-logIn"></span> <span>Log in</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-user-menu-anon-editor" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-user-menu-anon-editor" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Pages for logged out editors <a href="/wiki/Help:Introduction" aria-label="Learn more about editing"><span>learn more</span></a> </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-anoncontribs" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyContributions" title="A list of edits made from this IP address [y]" accesskey="y"><span>Contributions</span></a></li><li id="pt-anontalk" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyTalk" title="Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]" accesskey="n"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </header> </div> <div class="mw-page-container"> <div class="mw-page-container-inner"> <div class="vector-sitenotice-container"> <div id="siteNotice"></div> </div> <div class="vector-column-start"> <div class="vector-main-menu-container"> <div id="mw-navigation"> <nav id="mw-panel" class="vector-main-menu-landmark" aria-label="Site"> <div id="vector-main-menu-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav id="mw-panel-toc" aria-label="Contents" data-event-name="ui.sidebar-toc" class="mw-table-of-contents-container vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-toc-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-toc" class="vector-toc vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-toc-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="toc-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-toc" > <h2 class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Contents</h2> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.unpin">hide</button> </div> <ul class="vector-toc-contents" id="mw-panel-toc-list"> <li id="toc-mw-content-text" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a href="#" class="vector-toc-link"> <div class="vector-toc-text">(Top)</div> </a> </li> <li id="toc-Case" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Case"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1</span> <span>Case</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Case-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Decision" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Decision"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Decision</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Decision-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Decision subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Decision-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Majority_opinion" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Majority_opinion"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Majority opinion</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Majority_opinion-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Concurrence" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Concurrence"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Concurrence</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Concurrence-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Dissenting_opinions" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Dissenting_opinions"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>Dissenting opinions</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Dissenting_opinions-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Reaction_and_first_same-sex_weddings" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Reaction_and_first_same-sex_weddings"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Reaction and first same-sex weddings</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Reaction_and_first_same-sex_weddings-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Lawsuits_and_proposed_constitutional_amendments" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Lawsuits_and_proposed_constitutional_amendments"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Lawsuits and proposed constitutional amendments</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Lawsuits_and_proposed_constitutional_amendments-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Impact" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Impact"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Impact</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Impact-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Plaintiffs" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Plaintiffs"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Plaintiffs</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Plaintiffs-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><i>Goodridge v. Department of Public Health</i></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 2 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-2" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">2 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodridge_vs._Department_of_Public_Health" title="Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D1%83%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B6_%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2_%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%B7%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BE%D1%85%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Гудридж против Департамента здравоохранения – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Гудридж против Департамента здравоохранения" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q2072607#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health" title="View the content page [c]" accesskey="c"><span>Article</span></a></li><li id="ca-talk" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Talk:Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health" rel="discussion" title="Discuss improvements to the content page [t]" accesskey="t"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown emptyPortlet" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Change language variant" > <label id="vector-variants-dropdown-label" for="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">English</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-variants" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-variants emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> <div id="right-navigation" class="vector-collapsible"> <nav aria-label="Views"> <div id="p-views" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-views" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-view" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-edit" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-history" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=history" title="Past revisions of this page [h]" accesskey="h"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-tools-dropdown" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Tools" > <label id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-label" for="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> <div id="vector-page-tools" class="vector-page-tools vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-page-tools-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-unpinned" data-feature-name="page-tools-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-page-tools" data-pinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Tools</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.unpin">hide</button> </div> <div id="p-cactions" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-cactions emptyPortlet vector-has-collapsible-items" title="More options" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Actions </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-more-view" class="selected vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-edit" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-history" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=history"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-tb" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-tb" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> General </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="t-whatlinkshere" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health" title="List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [j]" accesskey="j"><span>What links here</span></a></li><li id="t-recentchangeslinked" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health" rel="nofollow" title="Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]" accesskey="k"><span>Related changes</span></a></li><li id="t-upload" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard" title="Upload files [u]" accesskey="u"><span>Upload file</span></a></li><li id="t-specialpages" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:SpecialPages" title="A list of all special pages [q]" accesskey="q"><span>Special pages</span></a></li><li id="t-permalink" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&oldid=1251408327" title="Permanent link to this revision of this page"><span>Permanent link</span></a></li><li id="t-info" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=info" title="More information about this page"><span>Page information</span></a></li><li id="t-cite" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CiteThisPage&page=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&id=1251408327&wpFormIdentifier=titleform" title="Information on how to cite this page"><span>Cite this page</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UrlShortener&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FGoodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health"><span>Get shortened URL</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener-qrcode" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:QrCode&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FGoodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health"><span>Download QR code</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-coll-print_export" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-coll-print_export" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Print/export </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="coll-download-as-rl" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:DownloadAsPdf&page=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=show-download-screen" title="Download this page as a PDF file"><span>Download as PDF</span></a></li><li id="t-print" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&printable=yes" title="Printable version of this page [p]" accesskey="p"><span>Printable version</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-wikibase-otherprojects" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-wikibase-otherprojects" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> In other projects </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="t-wikibase" class="wb-otherproject-link wb-otherproject-wikibase-dataitem mw-list-item"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q2072607" title="Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata [g]" accesskey="g"><span>Wikidata item</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-column-end"> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-appearance" class="vector-appearance vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-appearance-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="appearance-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-appearance" data-pinned-container-id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Appearance</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.unpin">hide</button> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div id="bodyContent" class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">2003 US state court case which legalized gay marriage in Massachusetts</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251680060">.mw-parser-output .ib-court-case .infobox-image img{background-color:#f8f9fa}.mw-parser-output .ib-court-case .infobox-above{font-style:italic;font-size:125%}.mw-parser-output .ib-court-case .infobox-header{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .ib-court-case .ib-court-case-red-header{background-color:red;color:white;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .ib-court-case .ib-court-case-green-header{background-color:green;color:white;font-weight:bold}</style><table class="infobox scotus ib-court-case"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above fn">Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="/wiki/File:Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg/180px-Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg.png" decoding="async" width="180" height="180" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg/270px-Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg/360px-Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="448" data-file-height="448" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Court</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Supreme_Judicial_Court" title="Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court">Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Full case name</th><td class="infobox-data"><i> Hillary Goodridge, Julie Goodridge, David Wilson, Robert Compton, Michael Horgan, Edward Balmelli, Maureen Brodoff, Ellen Wade, Gary Chalmers, Richard Linnell, Heidi Norton, Gina Smith, Gloria Bailey, and Linda Davies v. <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Department_of_Public_Health" title="Massachusetts Department of Public Health">Massachusetts Department of Public Health</a> and Commissioner of Public Health </i></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Argued</th><td class="infobox-data">March 4, 2003</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Decided</th><td class="infobox-data">November 18, 2003</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Citations</th><td class="infobox-data"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/440/440mass309.html">440 Mass. 309</a>, 798 <a href="/wiki/N.E.2d" class="mw-redirect" title="N.E.2d">N.E.2d</a> 941 (Mass. 2003)</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Case history</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Prior actions</th><td class="infobox-data">Summary judgment granted to defendants, 14 Mass. L. Rep. 591 (Mass. Super. Ct. 2002)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Subsequent action</th><td class="infobox-data">none</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Holding</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data">The denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples violated provisions of the state constitution guaranteeing individual liberty and equality, and was not rationally related to a legitimate state interest. Superior Court of Massachusetts at Suffolk vacated and remanded.</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Court membership</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Judges sitting</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Margaret_H._Marshall" title="Margaret H. Marshall">Margaret H. Marshall</a>, <a href="/wiki/John_M._Greaney" class="mw-redirect" title="John M. Greaney">John M. Greaney</a>, <a href="/wiki/Roderick_L._Ireland" title="Roderick L. Ireland">Roderick L. Ireland</a>, <a href="/wiki/Francis_X._Spina" title="Francis X. Spina">Francis X. Spina</a>, <a href="/wiki/Judith_A._Cowin" class="mw-redirect" title="Judith A. Cowin">Judith A. Cowin</a>, <a href="/wiki/Martha_B._Sosman" title="Martha B. Sosman">Martha B. Sosman</a>, <a href="/wiki/Robert_J._Cordy" title="Robert J. Cordy">Robert J. Cordy</a></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Case opinions</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Majority</th><td class="infobox-data">Marshall, joined by Greaney, Ireland, Cowin</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Concurrence</th><td class="infobox-data">Greaney</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Dissent</th><td class="infobox-data">Spina, joined by Sosman, Cordy</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Dissent</th><td class="infobox-data">Sosman, joined by Spina, Cordy</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Dissent</th><td class="infobox-data">Cordy, joined by Spina, Sosman</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header">Laws applied</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data">Mass. Const. arts. 1, 6, 7, and 10, and Part II, c. 1, § 1, art. 4; Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 207</td></tr></tbody></table> <p><i><b>Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health</b></i>, 798 <a href="/wiki/North_Eastern_Reporter" title="North Eastern Reporter">N.E.2d</a> 941 (<a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Supreme_Judicial_Court" title="Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court">Mass.</a> 2003), is a <a href="/wiki/Lists_of_landmark_court_decisions" title="Lists of landmark court decisions">landmark</a> <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Supreme_Judicial_Court" title="Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court">Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court</a> case in which the Court held that the <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Constitution" class="mw-redirect" title="Massachusetts Constitution">Massachusetts Constitution</a> requires the state to legally recognize <a href="/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_the_United_States" title="Same-sex marriage in the United States">same-sex marriage</a>. The November 18, 2003, decision was the first by a <a href="/wiki/U.S._state" title="U.S. state">U.S. state</a>'s <a href="/wiki/State_court_(United_States)" title="State court (United States)">highest court</a> to find that same-sex couples had the right to marry.<sup id="cite_ref-nytbig_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nytbig-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Despite numerous attempts to delay the ruling, and to reverse it, the first <a href="/wiki/Marriage_license" title="Marriage license">marriage licenses</a> were issued to same-sex couples on May 17, 2004, and the ruling has been in full effect since that date. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Case">Case</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Case"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>On April 11, 2001, <a href="/wiki/Gay_and_Lesbian_Advocates_and_Defenders" class="mw-redirect" title="Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders">Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders</a> (GLAD) sued the Massachusetts Department of Health in Superior Court on behalf of seven same-sex couples, all residents of Massachusetts, who had been denied marriage licenses in March and April 2001. All the plaintiffs had been in long-term relationships with their partners and four of the couples were raising a total of five children. The department's responsibilities included setting policies under which city and town clerks issue marriage licenses.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>After holding a hearing in March 2002 at which GLAD attorney Jennifer Levi argued on behalf of the plaintiff couples, Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly ruled in favor of the <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Department_of_Public_Health" title="Massachusetts Department of Public Health">Department of Health</a> on May 7, 2002. He wrote: "While this court understands the reasons for the plaintiffs' request to reverse the Commonwealth's centuries-old legal tradition of restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples, their request should be directed to the Legislature, not the courts.” He noted that the legislature had recently defeated same-sex marriage legislation and defended that as a rational decision rooted in the historical definition of marriage and its association with child rearing:<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>Recognizing that procreation is marriage's central purpose, it is rational for the legislature to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples who, theoretically, are capable of procreation. Moreover, because same-sex couples are unable to procreate on their own and therefore must rely on inherently more cumbersome means of having children, it is also rational to assume that same-sex couples are less likely to have children or, at least, to have as many children as opposite-sex couples.</p></blockquote> <p>The plaintiffs appealed directly to the <a href="/wiki/Supreme_Judicial_Court_of_Massachusetts" class="mw-redirect" title="Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts">Supreme Judicial Court</a> (SJC), which heard arguments on March 4, 2003. <a href="/wiki/Mary_Bonauto" title="Mary Bonauto">Mary Bonauto</a> of GLAD argued the case for the plaintiffs. Assistant Attorney General Judith Yogman represented the DPH.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Massachusetts Attorney General <a href="/wiki/Thomas_Reilly_(Massachusetts_politician)" title="Thomas Reilly (Massachusetts politician)">Tom Reilly</a> argued in his brief that the Court should defer to the legislature's judgment of "the broader public interest" and recognize that "same-sex couples cannot procreate on their own and therefore cannot accomplish the 'main object' ... of marriage as historically understood."<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Amicus briefs were submitted on behalf of the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Family Institute, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, The Common Good Foundation, the Massachusetts Citizens Alliance, the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, The National Legal Foundation, the Marriage Law Project, the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Coalition gaie et lesbienne du Québec, the Free Market Foundation, the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, Agudath Israel of America, several Attorneys General (including those of Nebraska, Utah, and South Dakota), and a variety of individuals.<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Decision">Decision</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Decision"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>On November 18, 2003, the Court decided, by a vote of 4–3, that excluding same-sex couples from marriage is unconstitutional. The <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Supreme_Judicial_Court" title="Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court">Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court</a> said it was asked to determine whether Massachusetts "may deny the protections, benefits and obligations conferred by civil marriage to two individuals of the same sex who wish to marry. We conclude that it may not. The Massachusetts Constitution affirms the dignity and equality of all individuals. It forbids the creation of second-class citizens."<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The plaintiffs had asked the Court to say that denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples violated Massachusetts law. Instead the opinion said: "We declare that barring an individual from the protections, benefits, and obligations of civil marriage solely because that person would marry a person of the same sex violates the Massachusetts Constitution."<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The court stayed the implementation of its ruling for 180 days to allow the <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_General_Court" title="Massachusetts General Court">state legislature</a> to "take such action as it may deem appropriate in light of this opinion."<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Reactions included speculation that the legislature could follow Vermont's example and enact <a href="/wiki/Civil_union" title="Civil union">civil unions</a> in that time period, but state Senate President <a href="/wiki/Robert_Travaglini" title="Robert Travaglini">Robert Travaglini</a> said he thought that "the strength of the language and the depth of the decision" showed that marriage and no substitute "is the wish of the court."<sup id="cite_ref-nytbig_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nytbig-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Arthur Miller, a <a href="/wiki/Harvard_Law_School" title="Harvard Law School">Harvard law</a> professor, said he thought the legislature might exploit the Court's 4–3 division to get it to accept a status much like marriage under another name.<sup id="cite_ref-nytbig_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nytbig-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Majority_opinion">Majority opinion</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Majority opinion"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Chief Justice <a href="/wiki/Margaret_H._Marshall" title="Margaret H. Marshall">Margaret Marshall</a> wrote the majority opinion, in which justices <a href="/wiki/Roderick_L._Ireland" title="Roderick L. Ireland">Roderick L. Ireland</a>, <a href="/wiki/Judith_A._Cowin" class="mw-redirect" title="Judith A. Cowin">Judith A. Cowin</a>, and <a href="/wiki/John_M._Greaney" class="mw-redirect" title="John M. Greaney">John M. Greaney</a> joined.<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Although the arguments and the decision turned entirely on questions of state law, she cited in her discussion of the Court's duty the <a href="/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States">U.S. Supreme Court</a>'s decision the previous June in <i><a href="/wiki/Lawrence_v._Texas" title="Lawrence v. Texas">Lawrence v. Texas</a></i> that invalidated <a href="/wiki/Sodomy_laws" class="mw-redirect" title="Sodomy laws">sodomy laws</a>: "Our concern is with the Massachusetts Constitution as a charter of governance for every person properly within its reach. 'Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code.'" She rejected the plaintiffs' contention that the state's marriage licensing law, which mentions marriage but never the gender of the parties, could be interpreted to permit same-sex marriages. The lack of a definition, she wrote, shows the legislature meant <i>marriage</i> in "the term's common-law and quotidian meaning". </p><p>Turning to whether the state's denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples violated the state constitution's guarantee of equal protection and due process, she noted that "The Massachusetts Constitution protects matters of personal liberty against government incursion as zealously, and often more so, than does the Federal Constitution, even where both Constitutions employ essentially the same language." Discussing the proper standard for review, she found that the Court did not need to consider whether the plaintiffs' claims merited <i>strict scrutiny</i>, a more thorough than usual standard of review, because the state's marriage policy did not meet the most basic standard of review, <i><a href="/wiki/Rational_basis_review" title="Rational basis review">rational basis</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>She then considered and dismissed the three rationales the DPH offered for its marriage licensing policy: "(1) providing a 'favorable setting for procreation'; (2) ensuring the optimal setting for child rearing, which the department defines as 'a two-parent family with one parent of each sex'; and (3) preserving scarce State and private financial resources." The first, she wrote, incorrectly posits that the state privileges "procreative heterosexual intercourse between married people". Rather "Fertility is not a condition of marriage, nor is it grounds for divorce. People who have never consummated their marriage, and never plan to, may be and stay married." The misconception that "'marriage is procreation'", she wrote, "confers an official stamp of approval on the destructive stereotype that same-sex relationships are inherently unstable and inferior to opposite-sex relationships and are not worthy of respect." The second, the marriage of a man and a woman as the "optimal setting for child rearing", a claim she said many Massachusetts statutes and the notion of "the best interests of the child" refuted, she found irrelevant, in that denying marriage licenses to one class of persons does not affect the marriage patterns of the other class. She turned the argument against the DPH: "the task of child rearing for same-sex couples is made infinitely harder by their status as outliers to the marriage laws." She concluded that "It cannot be rational under our laws, and indeed it is not permitted, to penalize children by depriving them of State benefits because the State disapproves of their parents' sexual orientation." She dismissed the third rationale as an unjustified generalization about the economic interdependence of same-sex partners. Later in the opinion she summarized this analysis, saying the DPH's arguments were "starkly at odds with the comprehensive network of vigorous, gender-neutral laws promoting stable families and the best interests of children."<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Addressing the concerns expressed in various amicus briefs about the potential harm same-sex marriage might cause to the institution of marriage, she wrote: </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1244412712"><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>Here, the plaintiffs seek only to be married, not to undermine the institution of civil marriage. They do not want marriage abolished. They do not attack the binary nature of marriage, the consanguinity provisions, or any of the other gate-keeping provisions of the marriage licensing law. Recognizing the right of an individual to marry a person of the same sex will not diminish the validity or dignity of opposite-sex marriage, any more than recognizing the right of an individual to marry a person of a different race devalues the marriage of a person who marries someone of her own race. If anything, extending civil marriage to same-sex couples reinforces the importance of marriage to individuals and communities. That same-sex couples are willing to embrace marriage's solemn obligations of exclusivity, mutual support, and commitment to one another is a testament to the enduring place of marriage in our laws and in the human spirit.<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>She then reviewed the history of constitutional law as one of "'the story of the extension of constitutional rights and protections to people once ignored or excluded'", quoting the U.S. Supreme Court once more, <i><a href="/wiki/United_States_v._Virginia" title="United States v. Virginia">United States v. Virginia</a></i>. She reviewed several examples related to marriage, including married women acquiring legal status apart from their husbands, the invalidation of anti-miscegenation laws, and no-fault divorce. As for creating conflict with the laws of other states, she wrote:<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1244412712"><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>We would not presume to dictate how another State should respond to today's decision. But neither should considerations of comity prevent us from according Massachusetts residents the full measure of protection available under the Massachusetts Constitution. The genius of our Federal system is that each State's Constitution has vitality specific to its own traditions, and that, subject to the minimum requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment, each State is free to address difficult issues of individual liberty in the manner its own Constitution demands.<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>She summarized the Court's decision: </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1244412712"><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>The marriage ban works a deep and scarring hardship on a very real segment of the community for no rational reason. The absence of any reasonable relationship between, on the one hand, an absolute disqualification of same-sex couples who wish to enter into civil marriage and, on the other, protection of public health, safety, or general welfare, suggests that the marriage restriction is rooted in persistent prejudices against persons who are (or who are believed to be) homosexual ... Limiting the protections, benefits, and obligations of civil marriage to opposite-sex couples violates the basic premises of individual liberty and equality under law protected by the Massachusetts Constitution.<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>Considering what relief to grant the plaintiffs, she noted that the <a href="/wiki/Court_of_Appeal_for_Ontario" title="Court of Appeal for Ontario">Court of Appeal for Ontario</a> had "refined common-law meaning of marriage" and then provided the Court's meaning: "We construe civil marriage to mean the voluntary union of two persons as spouses, to the exclusion of all others." The legislature retained its "broad discretion to regulate marriage".<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Concurrence">Concurrence</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Concurrence"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Justice <a href="/wiki/John_M._Greaney" class="mw-redirect" title="John M. Greaney">John M. Greaney</a> authored a concurring opinion in which he said he shared much of Marshall's analysis, but viewed the denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples as sex discrimination: "The marriage statutes prohibit some applicants, such as the plaintiffs, from obtaining a marriage license, and that prohibition is based solely on the applicants' gender." Since, in his view, "constitutional protections extend to individuals and not to categories of people", Massachusetts is not discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation but restricting a person's choice of spouse on the basis of gender, a classification he found the state had not justified.<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Dissenting_opinions">Dissenting opinions</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Dissenting opinions"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Justices <a href="/wiki/Robert_J._Cordy" title="Robert J. Cordy">Robert J. Cordy</a>, <a href="/wiki/Francis_X._Spina" title="Francis X. Spina">Francis X. Spina</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Martha_Sosman" class="mw-redirect" title="Martha Sosman">Martha Sosman</a> filed separate dissents from the Court's ruling. </p><p>Justice Cordy stated that "the Legislature could rationally conclude that it furthers the legitimate State purpose of ensuring, promoting, and supporting an optimal social structure for the bearing and raising of children." He continued that "this case is not about government intrusions into matters of personal liberty," but "about whether the State must endorse and support [the choices of same-sex couples] by changing the institution of civil marriage to make its benefits, obligations, and responsibilities applicable to them."<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Justice Spina wrote that "[W]hat is at stake in this case is not the unequal treatment of individuals or whether individuals rights have been impermissibly burdened, but the power of the Legislature to effectuate social change without interference from the courts, pursuant to art. 30 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights." He wrote that the "power to regulate marriage lies with the Legislature, not with the judiciary."<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Justice Sosman noted that "[p]eople are of course at liberty to raise their children in various family structures, so long as they are not literally harming their children by doing so. But that does not mean that the State is required to provide identical forms of encouragement, endorsement, and support to all of the infinite variety of household structures that a free society permits." She went on to argue that "[a]bsent consensus on the issue, or unanimity amongst scientists studying the issue, or a more prolonged period of observation of this new family structure, it is rational for the Legislature to postpone any redefinition of marriage that would include same-sex couples until such time as it is certain that redefinition will not have unintended and undesirable social consequences." She concluded that "[a]s a matter of social history, [the majority] opinion may represent a great turning point that many will hail as a tremendous step toward a more just society. As a matter of constitutional jurisprudence, however, the case stands as an aberration."<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Reaction_and_first_same-sex_weddings">Reaction and first same-sex weddings</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Reaction and first same-sex weddings"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Alan_Wolfe" title="Alan Wolfe">Alan Wolfe</a>, professor of political science at <a href="/wiki/Boston_College" title="Boston College">Boston College</a> reacted to the decision with a prediction: "This comes pretty close to an earthquake politically. I think it's exactly the right kind of material for a backlash."<sup id="cite_ref-nytbig_1-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nytbig-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Justice <a href="/wiki/Roderick_L._Ireland" title="Roderick L. Ireland">Roderick L. Ireland</a>, who voted with the majority, reported receiving threats against his life following the decision.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In his January 20 <a href="/wiki/State_of_the_Union_address" class="mw-redirect" title="State of the Union address">State of the Union address</a>, President <a href="/wiki/George_W._Bush" title="George W. Bush">George W. Bush</a> alluded to events in Massachusetts: "Activist judges ... have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people's voice must be heard. If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process. Our Nation must defend the sanctity of marriage."<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A poll of Massachusetts residents taken on November 19–20 found that 50 percent supported the decision, 38 percent opposed it, and 11 percent had no opinion; 53 percent opposed the proposed constitutional amendment and 36 percent supported it; 53 percent thought the legislature should do nothing more than modify state law to conform with the SJC opinion, while 16 percent wanted the governor and legislators to resist the ruling's implementation and 23 percent wanted them to provide benefits to same-sex couples while reserving marriage to different-sex couples.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The SJC had stayed implementation of its ruling for 180 days in order to allow the legislature to respond as it found necessary. On December 11, 2003, the State Senate asked the SJC whether establishing civil unions for same-sex couples would meet the ruling's requirements. The SJC replied on February 4, 2004, that civil unions would not suffice to satisfy its finding in <i>Goodridge</i>. The 4 justices who formed the majority in the <i>Goodridge</i> decision wrote: "The dissimilitude between the terms 'civil marriage' and 'civil union' is not innocuous; it is a considered choice of language that reflects a demonstrable assigning of same-sex, largely homosexual, couples to second-class status." They continued: "For no rational reason the marriage laws of the Commonwealth discriminate against a defined class; no amount of tinkering with language will eradicate that stain."<sup id="cite_ref-full_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-full-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Republican Governor <a href="/wiki/Mitt_Romney" title="Mitt Romney">Mitt Romney</a> responded to the SJC's February 2004 statement that civil unions were an insufficient response to its ruling in <i>Goodridge</i> with a statement supporting an amendment to the Massachusetts state constitution to overrule the court's decision. His statement said, "the people of Massachusetts should not be excluded from a decision as fundamental to our society as the definition of marriage."<sup id="cite_ref-full_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-full-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> On February 24, President Bush for the first time endorsed a <a href="/wiki/Federal_Marriage_Amendment" title="Federal Marriage Amendment">Federal Marriage Amendment</a> to the U.S. Constitution that would define marriage as the union of a man and a woman but allow the states the option of creating other legal arrangements for same-sex couples.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Same-sex marriage took on national importance as public officials in several jurisdictions allowed more than 7,000 same-sex couples to wed, including <a href="/wiki/San_Francisco_2004_same-sex_weddings" title="San Francisco 2004 same-sex weddings">San Francisco</a> (February 12 – March 11); <a href="/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_New_Mexico#Sandoval_County_marriages,_2004" class="mw-redirect" title="Recognition of same-sex unions in New Mexico">Sandoval County</a>, New Mexico (February 20); <a href="/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_New_York#New_Paltz_marriages" title="Same-sex marriage in New York">New Paltz</a>, New York (February 27); <a href="/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Oregon#Marriage_licenses_issued" title="Same-sex marriage in Oregon">Multnomah County</a>, Oregon (March 3); and <a href="/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_New_Jersey#Same-sex_marriage" class="mw-redirect" title="Recognition of same-sex unions in New Jersey">Asbury Park</a>, New Jersey (March 8).<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The legislature took no action either to implement <i>Goodridge</i> or block its implementation before the state began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on May 17, 2004. News coverage of that day's events in Massachusetts was extensive, though limited outside the United States. The three major networks lead their evening news shows with wedding coverage and it was lead story in the <i>Washington Post</i> and the <i>New York Times</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Lawsuits_and_proposed_constitutional_amendments">Lawsuits and proposed constitutional amendments</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Lawsuits and proposed constitutional amendments"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Opponents of the decision asked federal courts to overrule the decision. A suit filed by a conservative nonprofit organization, <a href="/wiki/Liberty_Counsel" title="Liberty Counsel">Liberty Counsel</a>, on behalf of the Catholic Action League and eleven members of the legislature argued that the Supreme Judicial Court had deprived the people of Massachusetts of their right to a "Republican Form of Government" as guaranteed by <a href="/wiki/Article_Four_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Republican_government" title="Article Four of the United States Constitution">Article IV</a> of the U.S. Constitution when it refused to stay its decision to allow for a referendum to amend the state constitution. In May 2004, U.S. District Court Judge <a href="/wiki/Joseph_Louis_Tauro" class="mw-redirect" title="Joseph Louis Tauro">Joseph Tauro</a> denied their request for an injunction delaying implementation of the decision, as did the <a href="/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_First_Circuit" title="United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit">First Circuit Court of Appeals</a> in June.<sup id="cite_ref-paper_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-paper-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Supreme Court declined to hear the case without comment in November.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Other opponents of same-sex marriage formed <a href="/wiki/VoteOnMarriage.org" title="VoteOnMarriage.org">VoteOnMarriage.org</a> to promote the adoption of an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage. </p><p>On June 17, 2004, GLAAD filed another suit on behalf of eight same-sex couples with ties to Massachusetts, but not residents of the state. It challenged a <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_1913_law" title="Massachusetts 1913 law">1913 law</a> that denied marriage licenses to anyone whose marriage would not be valid in their state of residence.<sup id="cite_ref-paper_15-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-paper-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> On March 30, 2006, the Supreme Judicial Court upheld the law's application to marriages of same-sex couples in <i>Cote-Whitacre v. Department of Public Health</i>, though the decision was complicated by uncertainty about the recognition of same-sex marriages in New York and Rhode Island.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The law was repealed on July 31, 2008.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Opponents of same-sex marriage sought to reverse the <i>Goodridge</i> decision by amending the state constitution, an <a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_constitution#Articles_of_Amendment" class="mw-redirect" title="Massachusetts constitution">extended process in Massachusetts</a> requiring repeated approval by the legislature before being put to a popular vote. They used each of the two methods the Massachusetts Constitution provides. First, legislators devised their own compromise language that banned same-sex marriage and permitted civil unions with the proviso that same-sex civil unions would not qualify as marriages for federal purposes. That proposed amendment needed to be approved by a majority vote in two successive joint sessions of the legislature, but after passing the <a href="/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Massachusetts#Constitutional_Convention_2004" title="Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts">first time</a> it failed the <a href="/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Massachusetts#Constitutional_Convention_2005" title="Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts">second time</a> on September 14, 2005, when the compromise collapsed.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Second, opponents of same-sex marriage proposed language defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, making no reference to civil unions. By gathering enough signatures on petitions, their amendment required a vote of just 25% of the legislators in two successive joint sessions of the legislature. This amendment received the necessary votes the <a href="/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Massachusetts#Constitutional_Convention_2006" title="Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts">first time</a>, but failed the <a href="/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Massachusetts#Constitutional_Convention_2007" title="Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts">second time</a> when 45 legislators voted for the amendment and 151 against it on June 14, 2007.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Impact">Impact</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Impact"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>More than 10,000 same-sex couples married in Massachusetts in the first four years after such marriages became legal on May 17, 2004. Approximately 6,100 marriages took place in the first six months, and they continued at a rate of about 1,000 per year.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On the fifth anniversary of the <i>Goodridge</i> decision, <a href="/wiki/Mary_Bonauto" title="Mary Bonauto">Mary Bonauto</a>, who argued the case for GLAD, said that state agencies were cooperating fully with its requirements, noting that exceptions occurred in programs that received federal funding and were therefore subject to the restrictions of the U.S. <a href="/wiki/Defense_of_Marriage_Act" title="Defense of Marriage Act">Defense of Marriage Act</a> (DOMA).<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>As of June 2015<sup class="plainlinks noexcerpt noprint asof-tag update" style="display:none;"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit">[update]</a></sup>, same-sex marriages were made legal across the US when the <a href="/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States">Supreme Court</a> ruled in <i><a href="/wiki/Obergefell_v._Hodges" title="Obergefell v. Hodges">Obergefell v. Hodges</a></i> that state bans of same-sex marriage were unconstitutional.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In the years following the <i>Goodridge</i> decision, some wedding celebrations have used passages from it. For example:<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1244412712"><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>Civil marriage is at once a deeply personal commitment to another human being and a highly public celebration of the ideals of mutuality, companionship, intimacy, fidelity, and family. Because it fulfills yearnings for security, safe haven, and connection that express our common humanity, civil marriage is an esteemed institution, and the decision whether and whom to marry is among life's momentous acts of self-definition.</p></blockquote> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Plaintiffs">Plaintiffs</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Plaintiffs"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The plaintiffs were Gloria Bailey and Linda Davies; Maureen Brodoff and Ellen Wade; Hillary Goodridge and Julie Goodridge; Gary Chalmers and Richard Linnell; Heidi Norton and Gina Smith; Michael Horgan and Edward Balmelli; and David Wilson and Robert Compton.<sup id="cite_ref-decision_6-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-decision-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Julie and Hillary Goodridge married on May 17, 2004, the first day the state issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples,<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> as did the other six plaintiff couples.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Goodridges separated amicably in July 2006<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and divorced in July 2009.<sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Massachusetts" title="Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts">Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Massachusetts" class="mw-redirect" title="LGBT rights in Massachusetts">LGBT rights in Massachusetts</a></li></ul> <dl><dt>State court decisions</dt></dl> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Baker_v._Vermont" title="Baker v. Vermont">Baker v. Vermont</a></i>, 744 A.2d 864 (Vt. 1999)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Lewis_v._Harris" title="Lewis v. Harris">Lewis v. Harris</a></i>, 188 N.J. 415 (2006)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Kerrigan_v._Commissioner_of_Public_Health" title="Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health">Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health</a></i>, 289 Conn. 135 (2008)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/In_re_Marriage_Cases" title="In re Marriage Cases">In re Marriage Cases</a></i>, 43 Cal.4th 757 (2008)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Varnum_v._Brien" title="Varnum v. Brien">Varnum v. Brien</a></i>, 763 N.W.2d 862 (Iowa 2009)</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-nytbig-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-nytbig_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-nytbig_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-nytbig_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-nytbig_1-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFBelluck2003" class="citation news cs1">Belluck, Pam (November 19, 2003). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/19/us/same-sex-marriage-overview-marriage-gays-gains-big-victory-massachusetts.html">"Marriage by Gays Gains Big Victory in Massachusetts"</a>. <i>New York Times</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">October 1,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Marriage+by+Gays+Gains+Big+Victory+in+Massachusetts&rft.date=2003-11-19&rft.aulast=Belluck&rft.aufirst=Pam&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2003%2F11%2F19%2Fus%2Fsame-sex-marriage-overview-marriage-gays-gains-big-victory-massachusetts.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAbraham2001" class="citation news cs1">Abraham, Yvonne (April 12, 2001). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150329183756/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8646465.html">"Gays Seek Right to Marry"</a>. <i>Boston Globe</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8646465.html">the original</a> on March 29, 2015<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">August 2,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Globe&rft.atitle=Gays+Seek+Right+to+Marry&rft.date=2001-04-12&rft.aulast=Abraham&rft.aufirst=Yvonne&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highbeam.com%2Fdoc%2F1P2-8646465.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBurge2002" class="citation news cs1">Burge, Kathleen (May 9, 2002). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140610081712/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7721404.html">"Judge Dismisses Same-Sex Marriage Suit"</a>. <i>Boston Globe</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7721404.html">the original</a> on June 10, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 9,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Globe&rft.atitle=Judge+Dismisses+Same-Sex+Marriage+Suit&rft.date=2002-05-09&rft.aulast=Burge&rft.aufirst=Kathleen&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highbeam.com%2Fdoc%2F1P2-7721404.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBurge2003" class="citation news cs1">Burge, Kathleen (March 5, 2003). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160213230211/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7771013.html">"SJC Peppers Lawyers on Same-Sex Marriage"</a>. <i>Boston Globe</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7771013.html">the original</a> on February 13, 2016<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 11,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Globe&rft.atitle=SJC+Peppers+Lawyers+on+Same-Sex+Marriage&rft.date=2003-03-05&rft.aulast=Burge&rft.aufirst=Kathleen&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highbeam.com%2Fdoc%2F1P2-7771013.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.baywindows.com/excerpts-from-attorney-general-tom-reillys-goodridge-brief-63292">"Excerpts from Attorney General Tom Reilly's Goodridge brief"</a>. <i>Bay Windows</i>. February 20, 2003<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 10,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Bay+Windows&rft.atitle=Excerpts+from+Attorney+General+Tom+Reilly%27s+Goodridge+brief&rft.date=2003-02-20&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baywindows.com%2Fexcerpts-from-attorney-general-tom-reillys-goodridge-brief-63292&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-decision-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-8"><sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-9"><sup><i><b>j</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-10"><sup><i><b>k</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-11"><sup><i><b>l</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-12"><sup><i><b>m</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-13"><sup><i><b>n</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-14"><sup><i><b>o</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-15"><sup><i><b>p</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-decision_6-16"><sup><i><b>q</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/440/440mass309.html">Hillary Goodridge & others vs. Department of Public Health & another, 440 Mass. 309 March 4, 2003 - November 18, 2003</a>, accessed July 6, 2016</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>New York Times</i>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803EEDF163BF93AA25752C1A9659C8B63">"Excerpts From the Massachusetts Ruling," November 19, 2003</a>, accessed March 19, 2011</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Boston Globe</i>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/2201203691.html?FMT=ABS&date=Dec+1%2C+2010">Michael Levenson, "SJC nominee tells of threats," December 1, 2010</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130412025841/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/2201203691.html?FMT=ABS&date=Dec+1%2C+2010">Archived</a> April 12, 2013, at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>, accessed March 19, 2011</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/George_W._Bush%27s_Fourth_State_of_the_Union_Address" class="extiw" title="s:George W. Bush's Fourth State of the Union Address">State of the Union, January 20, 2004</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPhillipsKlein2003" class="citation news cs1">Phillips, Frank; Klein, Rick (November 23, 2003). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2003/11/23/50_in_poll_back_sjc_ruling_on_gay_marriage/">"50% in poll back SJC ruling on gay marriage"</a>. <i>Boston Globe</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">August 20,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Globe&rft.atitle=50%25+in+poll+back+SJC+ruling+on+gay+marriage&rft.date=2003-11-23&rft.aulast=Phillips&rft.aufirst=Frank&rft.au=Klein%2C+Rick&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Farticles%2F2003%2F11%2F23%2F50_in_poll_back_sjc_ruling_on_gay_marriage%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-full-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-full_11-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-full_11-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFNeilan2004" class="citation news cs1">Neilan, Terence (February 4, 2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/04/national/04CND-MASS.html">"Gays Have Full Marriage Rights, Massachusetts Court Says"</a>. <i>New York Times</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 8,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Gays+Have+Full+Marriage+Rights%2C+Massachusetts+Court+Says&rft.date=2004-02-04&rft.aulast=Neilan&rft.aufirst=Terence&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2004%2F02%2F04%2Fnational%2F04CND-MASS.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAllenCooperman2004" class="citation news cs1">Allen, Mike; Cooperman, Alan (February 25, 2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/02/25/AR2005032201695_pf.html">"Bush Backs Amendment Banning Gay Marriage"</a>. <i>The Washington Post</i>. p. A1<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">January 15,</span> 2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Washington+Post&rft.atitle=Bush+Backs+Amendment+Banning+Gay+Marriage&rft.pages=A1&rft.date=2004-02-25&rft.aulast=Allen&rft.aufirst=Mike&rft.au=Cooperman%2C+Alan&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2004%2F02%2F25%2FAR2005032201695_pf.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPinello2006" class="citation book cs1">Pinello, Daniel R. (2006). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/americasstruggle0000pine/page/19"><i>America's Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage</i></a></span>. Cambridge University Press. p. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/americasstruggle0000pine/page/19">19</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0521848565" title="Special:BookSources/978-0521848565"><bdi>978-0521848565</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=America%27s+Struggle+for+Same-Sex+Marriage&rft.pages=19&rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&rft.date=2006&rft.isbn=978-0521848565&rft.aulast=Pinello&rft.aufirst=Daniel+R.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Famericasstruggle0000pine%2Fpage%2F19&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJurkowitz2004" class="citation news cs1">Jurkowitz, Mark (May 19, 2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/19/gay_marriage_story_drew_headlines_worldwide/">"Gay marriage story drew headlines worldwide"</a>. <i>Boston Globe</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 11,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Globe&rft.atitle=Gay+marriage+story+drew+headlines+worldwide&rft.date=2004-05-19&rft.aulast=Jurkowitz&rft.aufirst=Mark&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fmassachusetts%2Farticles%2F2004%2F05%2F19%2Fgay_marriage_story_drew_headlines_worldwide%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-paper-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-paper_15-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-paper_15-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Bay Windows</i>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.baywindows.com/goodridge-celebrates-its-paper-anniversary-64397">Laura Kiritsy, "Goodridge celebrates its paper anniversary," November 18, 2004</a>, accessed January 1, 2014</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>New York Times</i>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00E1DE113EF933A05752C1A9629C8B63">David D. Kirkpatrick and Katie Zezima, "Supreme Court Turns Down A Same-Sex Marriage Case," November 30, 2004</a>, accessed March 19, 2011</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly</i>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://masslawyersweekly.com/2006/04/03/sjc-nonresident-gays-cant-marry-chaos-is-prdicited/">SJC: Nonresident gays can't marry; chaos is predicted, April 3, 2006</a>, accessed March 19, 2011</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Boston Globe</i>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/07/gov_to_sign_bil.html">Michael Levenson," Governor signs law allowing out-of-state gays to wed," July 31, 2008</a>, accessed March 19, 2011</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBelluck2005" class="citation news cs1">Belluck, Pam (September 15, 2005). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/15/national/15amendment.html">"Massachusetts Rejects Bill to Eliminate Gay Marriage"</a>. <i>New York Times</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 7,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Massachusetts+Rejects+Bill+to+Eliminate+Gay+Marriage&rft.date=2005-09-15&rft.aulast=Belluck&rft.aufirst=Pam&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2005%2F09%2F15%2Fnational%2F15amendment.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPhillips2007" class="citation news cs1">Phillips, Frank (June 14, 2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/06/legislators_vot_1.html">"Legislators vote to defeat same-sex marriage ban"</a>. Boston Globe<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 8,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Legislators+vote+to+defeat+same-sex+marriage+ban&rft.date=2007-06-14&rft.aulast=Phillips&rft.aufirst=Frank&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Fnews%2Fglobe%2Fcity_region%2Fbreaking_news%2F2007%2F06%2Flegislators_vot_1.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">CNN: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/16/feyerick.samesex.marriage/index.html?_s=PM:US">Deborah Feyerick and Sheila Steffen, "Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, 4 years later," June 16, 2008</a>, accessed March 13, 2011</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Bay Windows</i>: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=83609">Ethan Jacobs, "Five years on, mostly smooth sailing for marriage equality," November 19, 2008</a>, accessed March 19, 2011</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/06/26/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage-ruling-brown-dnt-tsr.cnn">"U.S. 21st country to allow same-sex marriage nationwide"</a>. <i>CNN</i>. June 26, 2015.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=CNN&rft.atitle=U.S.+21st+country+to+allow+same-sex+marriage+nationwide&rft.date=2015-06-26&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fedition.cnn.com%2Fvideos%2Fus%2F2015%2F06%2F26%2Fsupreme-court-same-sex-marriage-ruling-brown-dnt-tsr.cnn&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLiptak2015" class="citation news cs1">Liptak, Adam (June 26, 2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage.html">"Same-Sex Marriage Is a Right, Supreme Court Rules, 5-4"</a>. <i>New York Times</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 26,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Same-Sex+Marriage+Is+a+Right%2C+Supreme+Court+Rules%2C+5-4&rft.date=2015-06-26&rft.aulast=Liptak&rft.aufirst=Adam&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2015%2F06%2F27%2Fus%2Fsupreme-court-same-sex-marriage.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf">"Obergefell et al. v. Hodges, Director, Ohio, Department of Health, et al"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>supremecourt.gov</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 26,</span> 2015</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=supremecourt.gov&rft.atitle=Obergefell+et+al.+v.+Hodges%2C+Director%2C+Ohio%2C+Department+of+Health%2C+et+al.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.supremecourt.gov%2Fopinions%2F14pdf%2F14-556_3204.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFeathers2013" class="citation web cs1">Feathers, Todd (January 8, 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220508220259/https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2013/01/08/landmark-mass-decision-on-gay-marriage-becomes-popular-text-at-weddings/">"Landmark Mass. decision on gay marriage becomes popular text at weddings"</a>. <i>Boston.com</i>. Boston Globe. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2013/01/08/landmark-mass-decision-on-gay-marriage-becomes-popular-text-at-weddings/">the original</a> on May 8, 2022<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 8,</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Boston.com&rft.atitle=Landmark+Mass.+decision+on+gay+marriage+becomes+popular+text+at+weddings&rft.date=2013-01-08&rft.aulast=Feathers&rft.aufirst=Todd&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Funcategorized%2Fnoprimarytagmatch%2F2013%2F01%2F08%2Flandmark-mass-decision-on-gay-marriage-becomes-popular-text-at-weddings%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/23/style/weddings-celebrations-hillary-goodridge-julie-goodridge.html">"Hillary Goodridge, Julie Goodridge"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/New_York_Times" class="mw-redirect" title="New York Times">New York Times</a></i>. May 23, 2004<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 18,</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Hillary+Goodridge%2C+Julie+Goodridge&rft.date=2004-05-23&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2004%2F05%2F23%2Fstyle%2Fweddings-celebrations-hillary-goodridge-julie-goodridge.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAbrahamPaulson2004" class="citation news cs1">Abraham, Yvonne; Paulson, Michael (May 18, 2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gay_marriage/">"Wedding Day"</a>. <i>Boston Globe</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 9,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Globe&rft.atitle=Wedding+Day&rft.date=2004-05-18&rft.aulast=Abraham&rft.aufirst=Yvonne&rft.au=Paulson%2C+Michael&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Fnews%2Fspecials%2Fgay_marriage%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAbraham2004" class="citation news cs1">Abraham, Yvonne (May 9, 2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/05/09/for_towns_that_denied_rights_altar_is_now_set/">"For towns that denied rights, altar is now set"</a>. <i>Boston Globe</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 29,</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Globe&rft.atitle=For+towns+that+denied+rights%2C+altar+is+now+set&rft.date=2004-05-09&rft.aulast=Abraham&rft.aufirst=Yvonne&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boston.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Farticles%2F2004%2F05%2F09%2Ffor_towns_that_denied_rights_altar_is_now_set%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-30">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFZezima2006" class="citation news cs1">Zezima, Katie (July 22, 2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30713FE3F5B0C718EDDAE0894DE404482">"Same-Sex Marriage Plaintiffs Separate"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/New_York_Times" class="mw-redirect" title="New York Times">New York Times</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">June 7,</span> 2007</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Same-Sex+Marriage+Plaintiffs+Separate&rft.date=2006-07-22&rft.aulast=Zezima&rft.aufirst=Katie&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fselect.nytimes.com%2Fgst%2Fabstract.html%3Fres%3DF30713FE3F5B0C718EDDAE0894DE404482&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-31">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLevenson2009" class="citation news cs1">Levenson, Michael (July 21, 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121106024330/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/1080941101.html?FMT=ABS&date=Jul+21,+2006">"After 2 Years, Same-Sex Marriage Icons Split Up"</a>. <i>Boston Globe</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/1080941101.html?FMT=ABS&date=Jul+21%2C+2006">the original</a> on November 6, 2012<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">March 18,</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Boston+Globe&rft.atitle=After+2+Years%2C+Same-Sex+Marriage+Icons+Split+Up&rft.date=2009-07-21&rft.aulast=Levenson&rft.aufirst=Michael&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fpqasb.pqarchiver.com%2Fboston%2Faccess%2F1080941101.html%3FFMT%3DABS%26date%3DJul%2B21%252C%2B2006&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AGoodridge+v.+Department+of+Public+Health" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/440/440mass309.html">Copy of Decision at Masscases.com</a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li:last-child::after{content:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:first-child::before{content:" (";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output .navbox-inner,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{width:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-title,.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow{padding:0.25em 1em;line-height:1.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group{white-space:nowrap;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{background-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list{line-height:1.5em;border-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list-with-group{text-align:left;border-left-width:2px;border-left-style:solid}.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-group,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-image,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-list{border-top:2px solid #fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title{background-color:#ccf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-title{background-color:#ddf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-abovebelow{background-color:#e6e6ff}.mw-parser-output .navbox-even{background-color:#f7f7f7}.mw-parser-output .navbox-odd{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ul,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="LGBT_in_Massachusetts" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:LGBT_in_Massachusetts" title="Template:LGBT in Massachusetts"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:LGBT_in_Massachusetts" title="Template talk:LGBT in Massachusetts"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:LGBT_in_Massachusetts" title="Special:EditPage/Template:LGBT in Massachusetts"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="LGBT_in_Massachusetts" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em">LGBT in Massachusetts</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">History</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Secret_Court_of_1920" title="Secret Court of 1920">Secret Court of 1920</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Combahee_River_Collective" title="Combahee River Collective">Combahee River Collective</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Governor%27s_Task_Force_on_Hate_Crimes" title="Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes">Massachusetts Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Massachusetts" class="mw-redirect" title="LGBT rights in Massachusetts">Rights</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Massachusetts" class="mw-redirect" title="LGBT rights in Massachusetts">LGBT rights in Massachusetts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Massachusetts" title="Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts">Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_1913_law" title="Massachusetts 1913 law">Massachusetts 1913 law</a> (1913–2008)</li></ul> </div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th id="Court_cases" scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Court cases</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><i><a href="/wiki/Hurley_v._Irish-American_Gay,_Lesbian,_and_Bisexual_Group_of_Boston" title="Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston">Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Group of Boston</a></i> (1995)</li> <li><i><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Goodridge v. Department of Public Health</a></i> (2003)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Cook_v._Gates" title="Cook v. Gates">Cook v. Gates</a></i> (2008)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Gill_v._Office_of_Personnel_Management" title="Gill v. Office of Personnel Management">Gill v. Office of Personnel Management</a></i> (2013)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_v._United_States_Department_of_Health_and_Human_Services" title="Massachusetts v. United States Department of Health and Human Services">Massachusetts v. United States Department of Health and Human Services</a></i> (2013)</li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Barrett_v._Fontbonne_Academy" title="Barrett v. Fontbonne Academy">Barrett v. Fontbonne Academy</a></i> (2015)</li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Organizations</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Gay_%26_Lesbian_Advocates_%26_Defenders" class="mw-redirect" title="Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders">Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gay_and_Lesbian_Athletics_Foundation" title="Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation">Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Knowthyneighbor.org" title="Knowthyneighbor.org">Knowthyneighbor.org</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Family_Equality_Council" class="mw-redirect" title="Family Equality Council">Family Equality Council</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/MassEquality" title="MassEquality">MassEquality</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_Transgender_Political_Coalition" title="Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition">Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Harvard_Gender_and_Sexuality_Caucus" title="Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus">Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Keshet_(organization)" title="Keshet (organization)">Keshet</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&oldid=1251408327">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&oldid=1251408327</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:LGBTQ_rights_in_Massachusetts" title="Category:LGBTQ rights in Massachusetts">LGBTQ rights in Massachusetts</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Massachusetts_state_case_law" title="Category:Massachusetts state case law">Massachusetts state case law</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:2003_in_United_States_case_law" title="Category:2003 in United States case law">2003 in United States case law</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:2003_in_Massachusetts" title="Category:2003 in Massachusetts">2003 in Massachusetts</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:2003_in_LGBTQ_history" title="Category:2003 in LGBTQ history">2003 in LGBTQ history</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:American_Civil_Liberties_Union_litigation" title="Category:American Civil Liberties Union litigation">American Civil Liberties Union litigation</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:United_States_same-sex_union_case_law" title="Category:United States same-sex union case law">United States same-sex union case law</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Webarchive_template_wayback_links" title="Category:Webarchive template wayback links">Webarchive template wayback links</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description" title="Category:Articles with short description">Articles with short description</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Short_description_with_empty_Wikidata_description" title="Category:Short description with empty Wikidata description">Short description with empty Wikidata description</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Use_mdy_dates_from_September_2023" title="Category:Use mdy dates from September 2023">Use mdy dates from September 2023</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_containing_potentially_dated_statements_from_June_2015" title="Category:Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2015">Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2015</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:All_articles_containing_potentially_dated_statements" title="Category:All articles containing potentially dated statements">All articles containing potentially dated statements</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 16 October 2024, at 00:17<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the <a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Terms_of_Use" class="extiw" title="foundation:Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Terms of Use">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy" class="extiw" title="foundation:Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy policy">Privacy Policy</a>. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://wikimediafoundation.org/">Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.</a>, a non-profit organization.</li> </ul> <ul id="footer-places"> <li id="footer-places-privacy"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy">Privacy policy</a></li> <li id="footer-places-about"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:About">About Wikipedia</a></li> <li id="footer-places-disclaimers"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer">Disclaimers</a></li> <li id="footer-places-contact"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us">Contact Wikipedia</a></li> <li id="footer-places-wm-codeofconduct"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Universal_Code_of_Conduct">Code of Conduct</a></li> <li id="footer-places-developers"><a href="https://developer.wikimedia.org">Developers</a></li> <li id="footer-places-statslink"><a href="https://stats.wikimedia.org/#/en.wikipedia.org">Statistics</a></li> <li id="footer-places-cookiestatement"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Cookie_statement">Cookie statement</a></li> <li id="footer-places-mobileview"><a href="//en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile" class="noprint stopMobileRedirectToggle">Mobile view</a></li> </ul> <ul id="footer-icons" class="noprint"> <li id="footer-copyrightico"><a href="https://wikimediafoundation.org/" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--size-large cdx-button--fake-button--enabled"><img src="/static/images/footer/wikimedia-button.svg" width="84" height="29" alt="Wikimedia Foundation" loading="lazy"></a></li> <li id="footer-poweredbyico"><a href="https://www.mediawiki.org/" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--size-large cdx-button--fake-button--enabled"><img src="/w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki.svg" alt="Powered by MediaWiki" width="88" height="31" loading="lazy"></a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-settings" id="p-dock-bottom"> <ul></ul> </div><script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.config.set({"wgHostname":"mw-web.codfw.canary-84779d6bf6-jf9pb","wgBackendResponseTime":153,"wgPageParseReport":{"limitreport":{"cputime":"0.469","walltime":"0.565","ppvisitednodes":{"value":3561,"limit":1000000},"postexpandincludesize":{"value":64451,"limit":2097152},"templateargumentsize":{"value":7421,"limit":2097152},"expansiondepth":{"value":22,"limit":100},"expensivefunctioncount":{"value":3,"limit":500},"unstrip-depth":{"value":1,"limit":20},"unstrip-size":{"value":96199,"limit":5000000},"entityaccesscount":{"value":0,"limit":400},"timingprofile":["100.00% 494.516 1 -total"," 40.77% 201.628 1 Template:Reflist"," 29.31% 144.934 17 Template:Cite_news"," 16.70% 82.561 1 Template:LGBT_in_Massachusetts"," 16.33% 80.750 2 Template:Navbox"," 13.71% 67.787 1 Template:Infobox_court_case"," 12.80% 63.293 1 Template:Short_description"," 7.64% 37.770 2 Template:Pagetype"," 4.27% 21.115 1 Template:Use_mdy_dates"," 3.67% 18.130 2 Template:DMCA"]},"scribunto":{"limitreport-timeusage":{"value":"0.267","limit":"10.000"},"limitreport-memusage":{"value":6779643,"limit":52428800}},"cachereport":{"origin":"mw-api-int.codfw.main-849f99967d-f8r85","timestamp":"20241122150938","ttl":2592000,"transientcontent":false}}});});</script> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","name":"Goodridge v. Department of Public Health","url":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health","sameAs":"http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q2072607","mainEntity":"http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q2072607","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Contributors to Wikimedia projects"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.wikimedia.org\/static\/images\/wmf-hor-googpub.png"}},"datePublished":"2003-11-18T23:07:50Z","dateModified":"2024-10-16T00:17:07Z","image":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/8\/82\/Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg"}</script> </body> </html>