RICHMOND, Va. — In a landmark opinion, the Supreme Court ruled Friday, June 26, 2015, that states cannot ban same-sex marriage, handing gay rights advocates their biggest victory yet.
Below is the timeline of same-sex marriage in Virginia.
Same-sex marriage in Virginia
1975 – Virginia passes law outlawing same-sex marriage.
November 2006 – Virginia voters approve a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions in the Commonwealth.
July 2013 – Timothy Bostic and Tony London are denied a marriage license in Norfolk, so they file a federal lawsuit.
January 2014 – New attorney general Mark Herring announces that he will not defend Virginia’s gay marriage ban, sides with plaintiffs suing to overturn the ban.
February 2014 – Federal judge Arenda Wright Allen strike’s down Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban, calling it unconstitutional.
July 2014 – 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond upholds Allen’s decision.
October 2014 – Us Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal of the 4th circuit decision; same-sex marriage becomes legal in Virginia.
November 2014 – 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds gay marriage bans in four other states.
January 2015 – U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear 6th Circuit case.
June 2015 – U.S. Supreme Court rules that marriage is a fundamental right for gay couples, requires all states to recognize same-sex marriages.
