The Supreme Court 10 years ago voted to extend the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, a landmark 5-4 ruling that changed the course of U.S. history — touching off profound changes in public opinion, as well as seismic cultural shifts. 

«No longer may this liberty be denied,» Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority. «The court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry.»

The June 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges ensured same-sex couples were guaranteed the same protections and benefits as their heterosexual peers. 

However, the ruling is not without its detractors. In fact, 10 years after the high court’s decision, recent polling shows that public opinion on same-sex marriage is more divided than ever. 

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The 10-year anniversary of Obergefell also comes at a tense political moment. The White House and Congress are governed, as of January 2025, by a new conservative majority — sidelining progressives and emboldening at least some Republican lawmakers who have signaled interest in challenging the Supreme Court’s landmark decision. 

It also comes as the conservative-majority Supreme Court has taken up important cases involving LGBTQ+ eduction, gender-related care and more. 

Ten years after the court’s landmark decision, here is a look at where things stand. 

Public opinion

The nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage has made such unions more visible, increasing the number of Americans with personal connections to couples directly affected by the Supreme Court’s ruling.

In fact, the number of married, same-sex couples in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2015, according to data from the Williams Institute at UCLA’s College of Law.

In the decade since the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Obergefell, public support for same-sex marriage has continued to climb, driven in large part by support from Democrat and Independent voters, though voters across all parties and demographics have seen an uptick, according to data from Gallup surveys over the past 10 years.

Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. voters, or 68% of Americans, said this year that they support same-sex marriage, according to a Gallup poll conducted last month — an 8% increase compared to the 60% majority who said the same in 2015.

Buoyed by popular support, then-President Joe Biden codified same-sex marriage protections at the federal level in 2022 by signing the Respect for Marriage Act, which required the federal government to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages performed in states where they are legal.

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Hundreds participate in the annual DC Pride Parade on June 8, 2024. (Astrid Riecken/Washington Post via Getty)

While the law stops short of ordering states or territories to marry same-sex couples, it does require them to recognize the marriages as legitimate, so long as they are valid in the state which they were performed. 

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However, that is not to say these actions have been without detractors. 

Increasing opposition at state and federal level

Support for same-sex marriage has dropped among Republicans in recent years, with the number of registered Republican voters who said they support same-sex marriage dropping from a 55% majority in 2021 to just 41% in 2025, according to data compiled by Gallup. 

It is unclear what exactly prompted the shift. However, at least some Republican lawmakers in state legislatures across the country have urged the high court, via symbolic resolutions, to revisit Obergefell and change the nationwide right to same-sex marriage.

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In fact, state legislatures in 2024 introduced more than 500 «anti-LBGT» bills, according to the ACLU. Though few of those bills were passed, supporters of same-sex marriage fear that backlash is growing to LGBTQ+ protections — and suggesting it could be an indicator of future opposition — preempting a legal challenge to Obergefell that could, eventually, make its way back to the Supreme Court.

Some on the left have called for an end to trans-inclusion efforts. (Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Court precedent, executive actions 

Recent Supreme Court decisions have yielded more speculation as to how a conservative-majority court might rule on same-sex marriage, should they decide to take up any cases challenging Obergefell. 

Justices sent shock waves through the nation in 2022 when they overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. The decision also sparked renewed fears that the high court could revisit same-sex marriage protections.

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Justice Clarence Thomas, for his part, explicitly suggested the court should do so in his concurring majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson, the case that overturned Roe, writing that the court has «a duty to ‘correct the error’ established» in Obergefell and other similar cases. 

«In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents … [including] Obergefell,» he added. 

President Donald Trump has declined, in large part, to weigh in publicly on the matter.

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He has, however, taken action to reverse course on Biden-era actions, including signing an executive order on his first day in office declaring that the U.S. will recognize only «two sexes,» male and female, according to a copy of the text.  

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House. Trump signed an order on his first day in office declaring that the U.S. will recognize only «two sexes,» male and female, raising concerns from LGBTQ+ advocates. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Next steps 

Experts told Fox News Digital they would not be surprised to see Republican-led challenges to Obergefell, with some pointing in particular the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this month in United States v. Skrmetti — another pivotal case in which justices on the high court voted 6-3 to uphold a Tennessee law banning certain medical care, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, to transgender adolescents in the state.

Skrmetti was one of the most closely watched cases of the Supreme Court’s term, and advocates for LGBTQ+ organizations such as the ACLU and Lamda Legal, which argued the case in December, have cited fears that the decision could serve as a legal pretext for future cases involving LGBTQ+ protections — including whether sexual orientation qualifies as a «protected class» on par with race or national origin.

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«I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody tried to unwind marriage equality,» Ethan J. Leib, a professor at Fordham Law, told Fox News Digital in an interview following the court’s decision last week. 

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Activists for and against trans rights protest outside the Supreme Court before the start of oral arguments in the United States v. Skrmetti case. The court ruled 6-3 on June 18, 2025 to uphold the Tennessee law in question, in a blow to transgender activists. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

He noted that the justices who joined John Roberts in the majority opinion — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — «seemed like they did not want to decide whether trans people are a quasi-suspect classification.»

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«My guess is that, if they get another case that’s really about transgender adults,» they might be willing to see the «technical differences» between them — which he said could carve out room for the justices to distinguish themselves from other conservatives on the court. 

He also noted Roberts seemingly went to great lengths to determine what counts as a sex classification, which could ultimately make it «much harder» for them to undo Obergefell in the near-term.

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At the end of the day, Leib said, «I wouldn’t be surprised if someone tried to unwind marriage equality» and the protections provided under federal law.

«I think I’d be surprised if there were five votes for it,» he said of securing the majority votes to overturn Obergefell. «But you know, but I could, I could see a way of counting to five.» 

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Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news. 

El “efecto Proust”, llamado así en honor al escritor francés Marcel Proust, ilustra cómo una simple experiencia sensorial puede detonar recuerdos profundos y vívidos. Según investigaciones difundidas por National Geographic, la atención consciente a los estímulos del entorno no solo permite evocar escenas del pasado, sino que también fortalece la memoria a largo plazo.

La ciencia actual respalda la idea de que entrenar los sentidos —vista, oído, olfato, gusto y tacto— puede optimizar la forma en que el cerebro organiza, retiene y recupera la información.

La relación entre percepción sensorial y memoria se basa en la arquitectura cerebral. Al captar una imagen, un sonido o un aroma, se activa una red de señales electroquímicas en la corteza cerebral. Andrew Budson, profesor de neurología en la Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, explicó a National Geographic que estos impulsos llegan al hipocampo, donde se integran estímulos visuales, auditivos, olfativos, emocionales y cognitivos en una experiencia coherente.

La amígdala añade una capa emocional a esa información, y otras estructuras del hipocampo la etiquetan para su almacenamiento a largo plazo. “Una de las formas en que una memoria puede ser marcada como importante es si estuvo asociada a una sensación intensa, como un olor fuerte o una imagen hermosa”, señaló Budson.

Susanne Jaeggi, profesora de psicología en Northeastern University, destacó que las vivencias multisensoriales —las que involucran varios sentidos al mismo tiempo— facilitan el recuerdo posterior. Este tipo de experiencias generan un “engrama de memoria”, una huella cerebral que abarca múltiples zonas neuronales.

“Todos aprendemos mejor cuando tenemos una experiencia multisensorial, porque literalmente almacenamos esa memoria en múltiples áreas del cerebro”, afirmó Budson.

El llamado efecto Proust describe la evocación espontánea de recuerdos autobiográficos a partir de un estímulo sensorial. Como relató el autor francés, el sabor de una magdalena mojada en té lo transportó a su infancia.

National Geographic lo ejemplificó con escenas cotidianas: el sonido de una canción antigua o el aroma de lápices recién afilados pueden activar recuerdos escolares con gran nitidez.

Los expertos consultados coincidieron en que no es necesario depender del azar para activar esta capacidad. Al prestar atención activa a los sentidos en momentos relevantes, se favorece una codificación más sólida de la experiencia.

La visión es el sentido dominante en el procesamiento cerebral. Jonathan Schooler, profesor en la Universidad de California Santa Barbara, indicó que “somos muy orientados visualmente; es fácil evocar una imagen en la mente, pero difícil recordar un olor”. Budson apuntó que la visión involucra los lóbulos occipital, parietal y temporal, y ocupa una amplia porción del cerebro.

Un estudio de 2023, publicado en Current Biology, demostró que la memoria visual se basa en códigos neuronales que evolucionan, permitiendo aplicar experiencias pasadas a situaciones nuevas. Tomar nota visual de elementos cotidianos —como una lista de compras— mejora la retención, incluso si se pierde el soporte físico.

National Geographic aconseja ejercitar la observación: concentrarse en colores, formas y texturas de un entorno o una obra artística puede aumentar la precisión del recuerdo visual.

Aunque la memoria auditiva suele considerarse menos duradera que la visual, existen notables variaciones según el contexto. Una investigación publicada en Psychological Research (2021) halló que los músicos presentan ventajas al retener patrones sonoros complejos, como variaciones tonales o rítmicas.

Jaeggi indicó que el grado de interés personal afecta lo que se recuerda. Así, la música asociada a momentos emocionales tiene más posibilidades de permanecer en la memoria.

Entrenar el oído —por ejemplo, al identificar instrumentos individuales en una pieza musical— ayuda a mejorar la memoria de trabajo, la atención y la percepción auditiva, sobre todo en personas con pérdida leve de audición.

El olfato tiene una relación privilegiada con la memoria y las emociones. Rachel Herz, neurocientífica de la Brown University, señaló a National Geographic que “ningún otro sistema sensorial está tan vinculado al núcleo neural de la emoción, el aprendizaje y la memoria como el olfato”. La corteza olfativa se sitúa junto a la amígdala y el hipocampo, lo que facilita este vínculo.

Un estudio japonés de 2021 mostró que ciertos aromas —como el tatami, la flor de osmanthus o el incienso— desencadenaron recuerdos detallados en los participantes. Otra investigación, publicada en Memory, confirmó que las señales olfativas superan a las visuales al momento de recuperar escenas de la infancia.

Herz recomendó dedicar unos minutos diarios a oler objetos cotidianos y reflexionar sobre los recuerdos que evocan. Además, una revisión de 2023 concluyó que el entrenamiento olfativo contribuye a una mejor cognición y salud cerebral con el paso del tiempo.

La memoria gustativa permite evocar sabores específicos tras cierto tiempo. Las señales recogidas por las papilas gustativas se procesan en la corteza cerebral y se vinculan a respuestas emocionales a través de la amígdala.

Pamela Dalton, del Monell Chemical Senses Center, aclaró que gran parte de la percepción del sabor se debe al olfato. Aunque se dice que entre el 75% y el 95% del gusto proviene de este sentido, la cifra varía entre estudios. Lo que sí es claro es que el olfato es crucial para la degustación.

Una publicación en Nature (2022) reveló que adultos que practicaron ejercicios de evocación gustativa mejoraron su capacidad para identificar sabores básicos. Los expertos proponen probar distintos alimentos, enfocarse en sus matices y verbalizar la experiencia. Budson sugirió, como práctica, distinguir los componentes de un vino durante una cata.

La memoria táctil permite conservar información sobre la textura, forma o temperatura de los objetos. Budson explicó que estas sensaciones se procesan en los lóbulos parietales, muy cercanos a las áreas del movimiento, lo que facilita la integración entre acción y percepción. Esto permite, por ejemplo, manejar objetos sin necesidad de verlos.

Según National Geographic, el entrenamiento táctil —como manipular arroz, arcilla o agua— mejora la atención sostenida y la memoria de trabajo.

Tomar nota de las sensaciones físicas también contribuye a decisiones cotidianas, como elegir ropa más cómoda o materiales agradables al tacto.

Los especialistas consultados coinciden en que la clave para mejorar la memoria radica en la atención consciente a los sentidos. Schooler recomendó ejercicios de meditación que primero se centren en la respiración y luego incorporen la percepción visual, auditiva u olfativa.

Herz lo sintetizó así: “Cuanta más atención prestes a cualquier cosa —y la atención es multisensorial—, más se reforzará la información que estás codificando en tu cerebro”.

National Geographic sugiere que la memoria no es un proceso aislado, sino el resultado de una interacción constante entre sentidos, emociones y atención. Incorporar ejercicios sensoriales en la vida diaria puede ser una vía eficaz para preservar y potenciar la memoria a lo largo del tiempo.

Zohran Mamdani’s win over former New York governor Andrew Cuomo represents a victory for the new guard, progressive wing of the Democratic Party, but his record in public service could leave much to be desired by Democrats who were hoping to see someone with substantial experience, like Cuomo, win the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

«You have to know how to make government work, and if you have no experience whatsoever in making government work, if you have never really had a job, you are a two-time assembly person who has passed three bills — most assembly people pass three bills by mistake,» Cuomo said of Mamdani’s resume while speaking to reporters before he lost Tuesday night’s primary race. «You’ve missed more days at work in two weeks than I missed in 11 years [as governor]. You’ve never dealt with the City Council; you’ve never dealt with the Congress; you’ve never dealt with Donald Trump, but now you’re going to run New York City?»

After graduating from Bowdoin College in Maine with a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies, where Mamdani helped launch the school’s first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, his resume, which was shared with the New York Times, shows «a patchwork of jobs» Mamdani worked for before joining the state assembly.

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In 2014, Mamdani did a four-month stint as an organizer for the left-wing advocacy group MoveOn in Seattle. He subsequently spent two months organizing with another group out of Houston called TexPIRG, while working an ongoing tutoring gig as well.

In 2015, Mamdani began his post-grad foray into political campaign work, but it is unclear if these were paid jobs or simply volunteer opportunities. He first knocked on doors for City Council candidate Ali Najmi and also did campaign field work for Khader El-Yateem’s City Council campaign. Mamdani reportedly spent some time as a field organizer for Tiffany Caban’s District Attorney campaign around 2019 as well.

While committing time to these campaigns, Mamdani also reportedly worked as a music supervisor and «third assistant director» on a Disney film about an Indian chess prodigy that was directed by his mother, Mira Nair, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker. He was also given an on-screen cameo role in the film.

«I actually created a playlist for Mira, who also happens to be my mother—you know, nepotism and hard work goes a long way,» Mamdani quipped during a radio interview in 2016, around the time of the movie’s release.

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Zohran Mamdani with his mother, director Mira Nair, on the red carpet for her 2016 film «Queen of Katwe.» (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)

At that time, Mamdani was also reportedly pursuing a rap career, going by the moniker «Mr. Cardamom» and «Young Cardamom.» One of his songs was eventually featured on his mom’s movie.

Mamdani continued his rap aspirations until at least 2017, but according to the mayoral candidate’s recent tax returns that were reviewed by the New York Post, he still rakes in a minor amount of royalties on his music. As a member of the New York state Assembly, Mamdani earned a salary of around $131,000, while his royalties amounted to around $1,200 last year, the Post found. 

Mamdani’s campaign work got more serious when he became campaign manager for Ross Barkan’s losing State Senate bid in 2018. Mamdani also spent time that year working at a foreclosure prevention community group called Chhaya, where he worked as a counselor for South Asian and Caribbean families facing potential foreclosure of their homes. Mamdani reportedly left after about a year to run for the New York State Assembly seat in Astoria, New York.  

Mamdani’s experience in the state assembly has not escaped criticism either.

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Mamdani sits in a green room in this June 12, 2025, photo. (Vincent ALBAN / POOL / AFP)

He reportedly missed 50% of the assembly’s votes in 2025 while focusing on his mayoral campaign, according to the New York Post. Meanwhile, during his entire three years in the New York State Assembly, Mamdani reportedly only ushered in three bills that eventually got passed into law, according to the New York Times. 

While Mamdani’s public service experience may be lacking, according to critics, he has been praised for his ability to market himself digitally across social media and other online platforms, with the New York Times dubbing him «a TikTok savant» during a profile piece they did on him in March.   

During a debate earlier this month among all the Democratic Party candidates running to be New York City’s next mayor, the candidates were asked if they had any regrets during their time working in politics. 

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«I regret not running for mayor in 2021,» State Sen. Jessica Ramos responded. «I thought I needed more experience. But turns out you just need to make good videos.»

If Mamdani wins the general election, he would be the city’s youngest leader since 1917 at 34-years-of-age. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign repeatedly for comment on this story but never received a response.