Tanco v. Haslam

Questions presented

SCOTUS records, cert granted 16 Jan 2015

(1) Whether a state violates the Due Process or Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by depriving same-sex couples of the fundamental right to marry, including recognition of their lawful, out-of-state marriages. (2) Whether a state impermissibly infringes upon same-sex couples' fundamental right to interstate travel by refusing to recognize their lawful out-of-state marriages. (3) Whether this Court's summary dismissal in Baker v. Nelson, 409 U.S. 810 (1972), is binding precedent as to petitioners' constitutional claims.

Opinion summary

Etalia.ai summary of the majority opinion

Tanco v. Haslam was a case concerning the recognition of same-sex marriages legally performed in other jurisdictions by the state of Tennessee. The plaintiffs, several same-sex couples who had been married in states where such unions were legal, challenged Tennessee's refusal to recognize their marriages under its laws and constitution. They argued that this non-recognition violated their rights under the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The district court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, granting an injunction requiring Tennessee to recognize these out-of-state marriages while litigation continued. This case became part of a broader set of cases consolidated into Obergefell v. Hodges at the Supreme Court level, which ultimately resulted in a landmark decision mandating nationwide recognition and legalization of same-sex marriage.