Excerpts from Majority Opinion and Dissents in SCOTUS Marriage Ruling

Friday's landmark 5-4 ruling in favor of marriage equality by the United States Supreme Court was documented in opinions and dissents with Justice Kennedy writing the majority opinion and Justice Roberts writing the dissent. As always, Justice Scalia had a say with a scathing additional dissenting opinion.

As reported by AP, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion, just as he did in the court's previous three major gay rights cases dating back to 1996. It came on the anniversary of two of those earlier decisions.

"No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family," he wrote. "In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were."

"It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage," Justice Kennedy said of the couples challenging state bans on same-sex 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."

Unsurprisingly, Justice Antonin Scalia, the most vocal conservative justice on the bench, authored a scathing dissent.

"The opinion is couched in a style that is as pretentious as its content is egotistic," Justice Scalia wrote of Kennedy's opinion. "Of course the opinion's showy profundities are often profoundly incoherent."

"'The nature of marriage is that, through its enduring bond, two persons together can find other freedoms, such as expression, intimacy, and spirituality,'" he quoted from Kennedy's opinion, adding, "Really? Who ever thought that intimacy and spirituality [whatever that means] were freedoms? And if intimacy is, one would think Freedom of Intimacy is abridged rather than expanded by marriage. Ask the nearest hippie."

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s dissent was considerably less inflammatory.

"If you are among the many Americans -- of whatever sexual orientation -- who favor expanding same-sex marriage, by all means celebrate today's decision," Chief Justice Roberts wrote. "Celebrate the achievement of a desired goal. Celebrate the opportunity for a new expression of commitment to a partner. Celebrate the availability of new benefits. But do not celebrate the Constitution. It had nothing to do with it."

Justice Alito wrote:

"I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes, but if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and treated as such by governments, employers, and schools."

This story is part of our special report: "Courting Equality". Want to read more? Here's the full list.