Who Is Hodges in Obergefell v. Hodges
In Obergefell v. Hodges, "Hodges" refers to Richard Hodges, then the Director of the Ohio Department of Health. He was the named respondent in the case, representing Ohio state officials who enforced the state's ban on same-sex marriage at the time of the lawsuit.
What the Case Was About
The case asked whether the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license same-sex marriages and to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other states. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that it does, making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.
Why Hodges's Role Matters
Richard Hodges became the named defendant because he oversaw Ohio's marriage laws and refused to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages on Ohio death certificates. The Supreme Court's decision against him effectively ended same-sex marriage bans across the United States. For more background on the case, see the official Supreme Court opinion.
