Amendment J would protect same-sex marriages in Colorado by repealing the state constitution’s now-defunct definition — which recognizes only unions between a man and a woman. Same-sex marriages were legalized nationwide in 2015 by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Obergefell v. Hodges case. Colorado was already issuing gay marriage licenses the prior year, after its ban was deemed unconstitutional by a lower court. However, the state’s constitution still retains a 2006 voter-approved amendment that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The measure, which was referred to the ballot by the state legislature, would align Colorado’s constitution with decisions made by both the U.S.