Jim Obergefell says he worries the Supreme Court ruling that bears his name could be overturned. In Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex couples’ ability to marry nationwide in 2015.
“It’s surreal,” Obergefell said, speaking from his hotel room before coffee. “There are times I still have to remind myself when I hear or see Obergefell in the news. That’s not just a case. That actually means me.”
Jim Obergefell and John Arthur
Obergefell’s case began with a fight over a death certificate for his late husband, John Arthur. He said, “We should not feel safe in any of the rights we enjoy.”
The emotional core of the case reaches back to hospice care, where the dispute began with Arthur’s name on a death certificate. That is the personal history behind a decision now discussed as reversible.
Support for 70 Percent
When Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, support for marriage equality nationally sat below 30 percent according to Gallup. Today that figure hovers near 70 percent, Gallup says, with support exceeding 85 percent among Democrats and majorities of younger Republicans also in favor.
The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimated in 2025 that more than 823,000 married same-sex couples now live in the United States. Those couples are living under a ruling that still stands, even as conservatives openly discuss overturning Obergefell v. Hodges.
What Obergefell Means Now
Christopher Wiggins, a politics and news editor at The Advocate, framed Obergefell as more than a legal caption because the plaintiff is still alive to watch his own name used in public debate. That leaves the practical question in plain view: if the ruling were challenged again, the path would run through the U.S. Supreme Court, where the 2015 decision was first written.
For married same-sex couples, the immediate reality is that nationwide marriage rights remain in place. For Obergefell, the warning is personal and direct: the name on the case is still his, and the rights tied to it are still being argued over.
