Overview

• A new Tennessee law allows state officials to decline to solemnize marriages, undermining the Supreme Court's 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.
• Critics argue the law targets LGBTQ, interfaith, and interracial couples by allowing officials to refuse to solemnize marriages based on personal beliefs.
• The law's passage reflects a broader conservative effort to challenge marriage equality and other personal freedoms, with a Supreme Court now leaning conservative.
• Legal experts predict the law will face swift challenges, questioning its constitutionality and its potential to discriminate.
• The law does not affect the ability to obtain a marriage license but raises concerns about the equal recognition and solemnization of marriages.