In what is seen as a major victory for the gay-rights movement, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the federal government may not restrict the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples.
US Supreme Court Rules on Gay Marriage
![Plaintiffs in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the California Proposition 8 case, react on steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, June 26, 2013, after justices cleared the way for the resumption of same-sex marriage in California.](https://gdb.voanews.com/4A957697-8A0A-40EB-8017-346FB56E4D61_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Plaintiffs in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the California Proposition 8 case, react on steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, June 26, 2013, after justices cleared the way for the resumption of same-sex marriage in California.
![American University students Sharon Burk, left, and Molly Wagner, embrace outside the Supreme Court in Washington, June 26, 2013, after the court cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California.](https://gdb.voanews.com/8A167B8C-4CDD-4CC1-A938-962873358154_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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American University students Sharon Burk, left, and Molly Wagner, embrace outside the Supreme Court in Washington, June 26, 2013, after the court cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California.