Every April we turn our attention to the U.S. Supreme Court when it hears argument on the most contentious legal issues of the year. This year, it’s no surprise that same sex marriage is back on the court’s docket. Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court heard argument in Obergefell v. Hodges, which consolidated four cases from Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. The cases before the Court ask two of the biggest and most controversial questions in the area of same sex marriage:

• First, does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex?
• Second, does the Fourteenth Amendment require a state to recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state?

Today on Insight we’ll talk with UC Davis Associate Dean and law professor Vikram Amar and McGeorge School of Law professor Lawrence Levine about the issues raised and how the court might rule in June.

Audio and Transcript:

Arguments for Fundamental right to marriage in US Constitution:

Oral Argument Audio

Oral Argument Transcript

Arguments for Interstate recognition of same sex marriages:

Oral Argument Audio

Oral Argument Transcript 

LINKS:

• SCOTUS Blog: No clear answers on same-sex marriage: In Plain English
• SCOTUS Blog: The Questions Before the Court
• Slate: Amicus: Marriage Arrives
• NYTimes.com: Gay Marriage Arguments Divide Supreme Court Justices
• LATimes.com: Supreme Court weighs gay marriage; Justice Kennedy unexpectedly expresses doubt
• NyTimes.com: Excerpts From the Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Arguments