Justice Anthony Kennedy, who authored today’s ruling legalizing same-sex marriage throughout the United States, is sometimes made fun of for his notoriously purple prose. But today he managed to close his opinion with one of the most beautiful passages you’ll likely read in a court case. I teared up. So did a few other Slate staffers.

Read more of Slate’s coverage of same-sex marriage at the Supreme Court. 

Also in Slate:

• The Supreme Court Just Made My Marriage Legal
• The Antonin Scalia “Sick Burn” Generator
• Watch Obama’s Moving Speech on Marriage Equality