Gay marriage decision could come on significant date

A Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage could come on a date that’s particularly significant to supporters of gay rights.

The court might release Friday its decision on Obergefell v. Hodges, a case that asks whether states are required to allow marriages between two people of the same sex and whether, under the 14th Amendment, states have to recognize same-sex marriage licenses from other states.

{mosads}Friday marks the two-year anniversary of the court’s decision on United States v. Windsor, a ruling that stuck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act and forced the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages.

The 2013 decision in the Windsor case itself fell on the 10-year anniversary of the court’s ruling in Lawrence v. Texas. In that historic case, the court ruled that a Texas law, which made it a crime for two people of the same-sex to engage in certain intimate sexual conduct, was unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The justices got another of their more significant cases of the term out of the way Thursday. In King v. Burwell, which centered on President Obama’s signature healthcare law, the justices upheld a central provision of the Affordable Care Act that allows people to continue to receive subsidies when purchasing health insurance.

The Supreme Court added two decision delivery days to its schedule earlier this week. With the added days, the justices now have two days left to deliver decisions — Friday and Monday — on five more cases before the term ends.