Code Adam Alert Program. On April 23, 2003, âThe Code Adam Act of 2003â became law. It requires the designated authority for a public building to establish procedures for a child missing in a federal facility. The General Services Administration's Public Buildings Service (PBS) will administer this program nationwide in both owned and leased buildings.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules that the state constitution gives gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, making the Bay State the first in the nation to allow same-sex marriage. Weddings begin in 2004.
That meant same-sex couples could marry in five more statesâIndiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. The following day, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down same-sex marriage bans in Nevada and Idaho. Two days later, West Virginiaâs attorney general stopped his defense of that stateâs ban.