Essence of Gay Marriage Ruling Is in One Paragraph

The New Republic calls it "the most powerful paragraph" in today's Supreme Court decision in support of gay marriage, Sarah Kliff at Vox says it stands out as a "moving piece of writing," especially for a judicial decision, and Josh Greenman of the Daily News tweets simply, "This is a piece of writing." All are referring to the final paragraph in Anthony Kennedy's majority decision. Here it is in full:

• "No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."

In yesterday's ObamaCare decision, one sentence stood out. (More gay marriage stories.)