The Article’s Title should only be provided in response to the request. Here it is: “Supreme Court Delivers Landmark Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage Nationwide.”

In a historic decision that could reshape the nation’s social landscape, the US Supreme Court yesterday handed down a landmark ruling on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. In a resounding 5-4 verdict, the Court held that the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees a fundamental right to marry, irrespective of an individual’s sexual orientation.

The ruling in Obergefell v Hodges brings years of advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights to what is being hailed as a momentous victory. With this decision, all 50 states are now obligated to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. This landmark ruling marks the culmination of a decades-long struggle for equal treatment under the law.

The decision comes just five years after the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was struck down by the high court. The Obama administration’s position, that marriage is a fundamental right protected by the US Constitution, has been endorsed by the majority opinion written by Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy cited the principles of equality, liberty, and dignity enshrined in the Constitution as the underpinnings of his court’s decision.

“It is this: the nature of marriage is that it is a union of two people, unique in an essential way to the human experience,” Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. “For that union makes a gift of new life and responsibility and love, an association that makes a life worth living.”

In contrast, the dissenting opinions, penned by Justices Roberts, Scalia, Alito, and Thomas, contend that same-sex marriage is a social and cultural construct lacking historical or constitutional grounding. These conservative justices argue that the Court has overstepped its authority, usurping the power of the elected branches of government to shape public policy.

The ruling has been met with jubilation nationwide, as many in the LGBTQ+ community and its allies celebrate the landmark decision. With a clear majority of Americans now supporting same-sex marriage, the ruling is expected to usher in a new era of freedom and equality for couples previously denied marriage licenses by law.

While some lawmakers had vowed to resist the impending ruling, it remains unclear if such efforts will persist in the face of the Court’s resounding pronouncement that marriage equality is now a constitutional bedrock principle.