December 20, 1999 – The Vermont Supreme Court rules that gay and lesbian couples should be given the same rights as heterosexual couples.
November 18, 2003 – The Massachusetts Supreme Court rules that a ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
February 12-March 11, 2004 – Nearly 4,000 same-sex couples get marriage licenses in San Francisco, but the California Supreme Court eventually orders San Francisco to stop issuing marriage licenses. The nearly 4,000 sanctioned marriages are later nullified by the California Supreme Court.
February 20, 2004 – Sandoval County, New Mexico, issues 26 same-sex marriage licenses, but they are nullified by the state attorney general the same day.
March 3, 2004 – In Portland, Oregon, the Multnomah County Clerk’s office issues marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Neighboring Benton County follows on March 24.
July 14, 2004 – The US Senate blocks a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage from moving forward in Congress.
September 30, 2004 – The US House of Representatives votes against amending the Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage.
October 5, 2004 – A Louisiana judge throws out an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage because the ban also includes civil unions. In 2005, the Louisiana State Supreme Court reinstates the constitutional amendment.
November 2, 2004 – Eleven states pass constitutional amendments defining marriage as being between a man and a woman only: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah.
March 14, 2005 – A Superior Court judge rules that California’s law that limits marriage to a union between a man and a woman is unconstitutional.
April 14, 2005 – Oregon’s Supreme Court nullifies the same-sex marriage licenses issued there in 2004.
May 12, 2005 – A federal judge strikes down Nebraska’s ban on protection and recognition of same-sex couples.
September 14, 2005 – The Massachusetts Legislature rejects a proposed amendment to its state constitution to ban same-sex marriages.
November 8, 2005 – Texas becomes the 19th state to adopt a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
January 20, 2006 – A Maryland judge rules the state’s law defining marriage is unconstitutional.
March 30, 2006 – The highest court in Massachusetts rules that same-sex couples who live in other states cannot get married in Massachusetts unless same-sex marriage is legal in their home states.
June 6, 2006 – Alabama voters pass a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
July 6, 2006 – The New York Court of Appeals rules that a state law banning same-sex marriage is legal, and the Georgia Supreme Court upholds the state’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
November 7, 2006 – Constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage are on the ballot in eight states. Seven states: Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin, pass theirs, while Arizona voters reject the ban.
October 10, 2008 – The Connecticut Supreme Court in Hartford rules that the state must allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Connecticut on November 12, 2008.
November 4, 2008 – Voters in California approve Proposition 8, which will amend the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Voters in Arizona and Florida also approve similar amendments to their state constitutions.
May 6, 2009 – New Hampshire lawmakers pass a same-sex marriage bill. Marriages will become legal on January 1, 2010.
May 26, 2009 – The California Supreme Court upholds the passage of Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage. However, 18,000 such marriages performed before Proposition 8 will remain valid.
December 15, 2009 – The city council of Washington, DC votes to legalize same-sex marriage, 11-2. Marriages become legal on March 9, 2010.
July 9, 2010 – Judge Joseph Tauro of Massachusetts rules that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional because it interferes with a state’s right to define marriage.
August 4, 2010 – Chief US District Judge Vaughn Walker from the United States District Court/Northern District of California decides that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.
February 23, 2011 – The Obama Administration instructs the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act in court.
September 30, 2011 – The US Department of Defense issues new guidelines allowing military chaplains to perform same-sex ceremonies.
February 7, 2012 – A three-judge panel with the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rules that Proposition 8, the voter-approved same-sex marriage ban, violates the constitution.
May 8, 2012 – North Carolina voters pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, putting a ban that already existed in state law into the state’s charter.
May 31, 2012 – The 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rules that the Defense of Marriage Act, (DOMA), discriminates against gay couples.
June 5, 2012 – The 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals in San Francisco denies a request to review an earlier court decision stating that California’s Proposition 8 violates the Constitution. A stay on same-sex marriages in California remains in place until the issue is exhausted in the courts.
October 18, 2012 – The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the Defense of Marriage Act, (DOMA), violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause, deciding in favor of widow Edith Windsor, an 83-year-old lesbian who sued the federal government for charging her more than $363,000 in estate taxes after being denied the benefit of spousal deductions.
November 6, 2012 – Voters in Maryland, Washington and Maine pass referendums legalizing same-sex marriage. This is the first time same-sex marriage has been approved by a popular vote in the United States. Voters in Minnesota reject a ban on the issue.
August 29, 2013 – The US Treasury Department announces that legally married same-sex couples will be treated as married for tax purposes, even if they live in a state that does not recognize same-sex marriage.
October 10, 2013 – New Jersey Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson denies the state’s appeal to halt same-sex marriages. On October 21, same-sex couples are legally allowed to marry.
November 13, 2013 – Governor Neil Abercrombie signs legislation making Hawaii the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage. The law takes effect on December 2, 2013.
December 19, 2013 – The New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously rules to allow same-sex marriage statewide and orders county clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to qualified same-sex couples.
December 20, 2013 – A federal judge in Utah declares the state ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
December 24, 2013 – The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals denies a request from Utah officials to temporarily stay a lower court’s ruling that allows same-sex marriage there. The ruling allows same-sex marriages to continue while the appeal goes forward.
January 14, 2014 – An Oklahoma federal court rules the state ban on same-sex marriage is “an arbitrary, irrational exclusion of just one class of Oklahoma citizens from a governmental benefit.” Anticipating an appeal, US Senior District Judge Terence Kern puts in place a stay pending the outcome of the Utah appeal, so same-sex couples in Oklahoma cannot immediately marry.
February 12, 2014 – US District Judge John G. Heyburn II rules that Kentucky’s denial of recognition for valid same-sex marriages violates the United States Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law.
February 13, 2014 – US District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen strikes down Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage.
February 26, 2014 – US District Judge Orlando Garcia strikes down Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage, ruling it has no “rational relation to a legitimate government purpose.”
March 14, 2014 – A federal preliminary injunction is ordered against Tennessee’s ban on recognizing same-sex marriages from other states.
March 21, 2014 – US District Judge Bernard Friedman rules that the Michigan Marriage Amendment which bans same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette files an emergency request for Judge Friedman’s order to be stayed and appealed.
April 14, 2014 – District Judge Timothy Black orders Ohio to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
May 20, 2014 – District Judge John E. Jones strikes down Pennsylvania’s ban on same-sex marriage.
June 13, 2014 – District Judge Barbara Crabb temporarily blocks same-sex marriages in Wisconsin, pending appeals.
June 25, 2014 – District Judge Richard Young strikes down Indiana’s same-sex marriage ban.
July 11, 2014 – A federal appeals court rules that about 1,300 same-sex marriages performed earlier this year must be recognized by Utah.
July 18, 2014 – The Supreme Court grants Utah’s request for a delay in recognizing same-sex marriages performed in late 2013 and early 2014.
July 18, 2014 – The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a judge’s ruling from January 2014 that the same-sex marriage ban in Oklahoma is unconstitutional. The panel stays the ruling, pending appeal from the state.
July 23, 2014 – A federal judge rules that Colorado’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The judge stays implementation of the ruling pending appeals.
July 28, 2014 – A federal appeals court strikes down Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage. The 4th Circuit opinion also will affect marriage laws in other states within its jurisdiction, including West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Separate orders will have to be issued for affected states in the region outside Virginia.
August 20, 2014 – The Supreme Court grants a request to delay enforcement of an appeals court ruling that overturned Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban.
September 3, 2014 – Judge Martin L. C. Feldman upholds Louisiana’s ban on same-sex marriages, breaking a streak of 21 consecutive federal court decisions overturning the bans since June 2013.
October 6, 2014 – The US Supreme Court refuses to hear appeals from five states — Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin — seeking to keep their same-sex marriage bans in place. Therefore, same-sex marriage becomes legal in those states.
October 7, 2014 – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Colorado and Indiana.
October 7, 2014 – The 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals in California concludes bans on same-sex marriage in Nevada and Idaho violate the equal protection rights of same-sex couples to legally marry.
October 9, 2014 – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Nevada and West Virginia.
October 10, 2014 – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in North Carolina.
November 4, 2014 – A federal judge rules that Kansas’ ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. He puts the ruling on hold until November 11, to give the state time to file an appeal.
November 6, 2014 – The US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upholds bans on same-sex marriages in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
November 12, 2014 – A South Carolina federal judge strikes down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, delaying the effective date until November 20, allowing time for an appeal by the state’s attorney general.
January 5, 2015 – The US Supreme Court denies Florida’s petition to extend the stay on allowing same-sex marriages. Couples are free to marry as the case continues through the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
January 12, 2015 – A federal judge rules South Dakota’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional but stays the ruling.
January 23, 2015 – A federal court judge rules in favor of the freedom to marry in Alabama for same-sex couples but stays the ruling.
January 27, 2015 – Federal Judge Callie Granade rules to strike down the same-sex marriage ban in a second case involving an unmarried same-sex couple in Alabama but stays her ruling for 14 days.
February 9, 2015 – Some Alabama probate judges, including in Montgomery County, begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Others follow the instructions of Moore.