Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, 440 Mass. 309 (2003)

In Goodridge v. Department of Public Health (2003), seven same-sex couples sued the Massachusetts Department of Public Health after being denied marriage licenses, arguing that the exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage violated the Massachusetts Constitution. The Supreme Judicial Court held that the state’s marriage law, limiting marriage to one man and one woman, violated the equality and liberty guarantees of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. The Court found that there was no rational basis for excluding same-sex couples from civil marriage, and there was no legitimate relationship to public health, safety, or welfare; emphasizing that the ban served only to perpetuate prejudice. The majority redefined civil marriage as “the voluntary union of two persons as spouses, to the exclusion of all others,” and ordered the state to begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples after 180 days. Chief Justice Marshall’s opinion underscored that civil marriage is a fundamental right protected by state constitutional principles of individual liberty and equality. This was the first state high court decision in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage.