In the decision Obergefell v. Hodges, the United States Supreme Court stated that “A first premise of the Court's relevant precedents is that the right to personal choice regarding marriage is inherent in the concept of individual autonomy” (2016). Making same-sex marriage illegal placed restrictions on the freedom of people within that community to choose their life partner as their legally recognized spouse. Because they could not enjoy all the benefits of marriage, their pursuit of happiness was greatly compromised