Goodridge v. Department of Public Health decision establishes the right of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.

Supreme Judicial Court, by a 4 to 3 margin, rules that state laws excluding preventing same-sex couples from marrying are unconstitutional. In a decision written by Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, the court rules, “The decision whether and whom to marry is among life’s momentous acts of self-definition.” The suit was filed by the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders on behalf of Hillary and Julie Goodridge and other gay couples in April 2001. In a subsequent decision, the court issues an an advisory opinion that declares that the only way to meet the state constitution’s guarantee of equal rights is to grant same-sex couples full marriage rights on February 4, 2004.