In a momentous day for the rights of minorities the US Supreme Court has ruled that the US Constitution upholds the rights of same-sex couples to marry.

It was a five-four split decision, and it was greeted in Washington where a crowd gathered to hear the ruling with whoops of triumph and tears of joy.

Due process and equal protection under the law were the guiding principles underlining the court’s decision, which means that none of the 50 states can go their own way and ban gay marriage any more.

At the moment 14 US states ban gay marriage. This is now illegal.

Dissenting Judge Antonin Scalia said the decision showed that “the Supreme Court is a danger to American democracy”.