ON THESE DAYS

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26 June, 2015

US Supreme Court upholds same sex marriage

In Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on this date in 2015 that state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional; writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy stated that “no longer may this liberty be denied.”

A landmark decision, the determination the fundamental right to marry as guaranteed to same-sex couples on the same terms and conditions as the marriages of opposite-sex couples, with equal rights and responsibilities.

Prior to Obergefell, same-sex marriage had already been established by statute, court ruling, or voter initiative in 36 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam.

In a majority opinion authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Court examined the nature of fundamental rights guaranteed to all by the Constitution, the harm done to individuals by delaying the implementation of such rights while the democratic process plays out, and the evolving understanding of discrimination and inequality that has developed greatly since Baker.

On the morning of June 26, 2015, outside the Supreme Court, the crowd celebrates the Court's decision.

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June 27, 1844

Joseph Smith murdered

Joseph Smith Jr. (1805 – 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement He published the Book of Mormon at the age of 24

By early 1844 a rift developed between Smith and a half dozen of his closest associates. Believing these men were plotting against his life, Smith excommunicated them on April 18, 1844. The rift deepened, ultimately culminating in Smith having to stand rial for inciting a riot. Once Smith and his brother Hyrum were in custody, the charges were increased to treason, preventing them from posting bail.

On June 27, 1844, an armed mob with blackened faces stormed Carthage Jail, where Joseph and Hyrum were being detained. Hyrum, who was trying to secure the door, was killed instantly with a shot to the face. Smith fired three shots from a pepper-box pistol that his friend had lent him, wounding three men, before he sprang for the window. Smith and his companions were staying in the jailer's bedroom, which did not have bars on the window.) He was shot multiple times before falling out of the window, crying, "Oh Lord my God!" He died shortly after hitting the ground, but was shot several more times by an improvised firing squad before the mob dispersed.

Following Smith's death, non-Mormon newspapers were nearly unanimous in portraying Smith as a religious fanatic.[166] Conversely, within the Latter Day Saint community, Smith was viewed as a prophet, martyred to seal the testimony of his faith.

Smith was the first U.S. presidential candidate to be assassinated.

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