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.
With these changes, at least 37 states and D.C. recognize same-sex marriage. There is also a federal appeals court ruling to uphold states' ban on same-sex marriage. On Nov. 6, 2014, a federal appeals court judge in the 6th U.S. Circuit upheld four states' bans on same-sex marriage. The opinion upholds bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee.