Same-sex marriage in Mississippi

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Mississippi since June 26, 2015. On November 25, 2014, Judge Carlton Reeves of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional in Campaign for Southern Equality v. Bryant. Enforcement of his ruling was stayed pending appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that the denial of marriage rights to same-sex couples violates the U.S. Constitution. On June 29, Attorney General Jim Hood ordered clerks to comply with the court ruling and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Fifth Circuit lifted its stay on July 1, and Judge Reeves ordered an end to Mississippi's enforcement of its same-sex marriage ban. However, until July 2, 2015, several counties continued to refuse to issue marriage licenses, including DeSoto, Jasper, Jones, Newton, Pontotoc, Simpson and Yalobusha.

Mississippi had previously denied marriage rights to same-sex couples by statute since 1997 and in its State Constitution since 2004. Polling suggests that a narrow majority of Mississippi residents support the legal recognition of same-sex marriage, with a 2024 Public Religion Research Institute poll showing that 54% of respondents supported same-sex marriage.

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