Landmark Decision
Tomorrow marks the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, one of the most important rulings in the history of the Supreme Court. In the case, which was argued by future justice Thurgood Marshall, the court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment. The ruling helped inspire the civil rights movement, and while it only applied to public schools, the decision implied that racial segregation in any public institution would not be permitted.
The Trailblazing Life of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
National Archives, Washington, D.C. (2803441)
Timeline: The U.S. Civil Rights Movement, Starting with Brown v. Board of Ed
U.S. News & World Report Magazine Photograph Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-ppmsca-03128)
Marriage Milestone
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the first same-sex marriage in the U.S., which was performed in Massachusetts. It would take another 11 years for same-sex marriage to become federally recognized in America—by then, many other nations had embraced it. Here’s a look at the evolution of marriage equality across the world.
In Europe
In 1989 Denmark became the first country to establish registered partnerships—an attenuated version of marriage—for same-sex couples. Similar laws, generally using specific language to differentiate between same-sex unions for heterosexual marriage, went into effect in Norway (1993), Sweden (1995), Iceland (1996), and the Netherlands (1998). In 2000 the Netherlands revised its same-sex partnership law and the following year became the first country to offer marriage to same-sex couples; several European countries followed.
Around the world
From there, marriage equality went global. In 2005 Canada became the first country outside Europe to legalize same-sex marriage. South Africa (2006) and Argentina (2010) were the first African and Latin American countries, respectively, to legalize same-sex marriage, while New Zealand (2013) was the first in Oceania.
In the U.S.
One of the first steps toward legalization in the U.S. involved overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denied to same-sex couples the federal benefits and protections generally given to heterosexual spouses, such as rights to inheritance, insurance, and social security. DOMA, enacted in 1996, was struck down in 2013 by the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that guaranteed the right to marry as a fundamental liberty.
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