Massachusetts

===21st century===

On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state in the U.S. to legalize [[Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|same-sex marriage]]. This followed the [[Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court]]'s decision in ''[[Goodridge v. Department of Public Health]]'' in November 2003, which determined that the exclusion of same-sex couples from the right to a civil marriage was unconstitutional.<ref name=CNNmarriage />

In 2004, Massachusetts senator [[John Kerry]], who won the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, lost to incumbent [[George W. Bush]]. Eight years later, former Massachusetts governor [[Mitt Romney]] (the Republican nominee) lost to incumbent [[Barack Obama]] in 2012. Another eight years later, Massachusetts senator [[Elizabeth Warren]] became a frontrunner in the Democratic primaries for the 2020 presidential election. However, she later suspended her campaign and endorsed presumptive nominee [[Joe Biden]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCammond |first1=Alexi |title=Elizabeth Warren endorses Joe Biden in 2020 presidential race |url=https://www.axios.com/2020/04/15/elizabeth-warren-endorses-joe-biden-president |access-date=December 3, 2022 |work=Axios |date=April 15, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:1st Boston Marathon blast seen from 2nd floor and a half block away.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Boston Marathon bombing]]

Two [[Boston marathon bombing|pressure cooker bombs exploded]] near the finish line of the [[Boston Marathon]] on April 15, 2013, at around 2:49 pm local time ([[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]). The explosions killed three people and injured an estimated 264 others.<ref>{{cite news |title=Police narrow in on two suspects in Boston Marathon bombings |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/injury-toll-rises-marathon-massacre-article-1.1319080 |access-date=December 3, 2022 |work=Daily News|location=New York}}</ref> The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) later identified the suspects as brothers [[Dzhokhar Tsarnaev]] and [[Tamerlan Tsarnaev]]. The ensuing [[manhunt (law enforcement)|manhunt]] ended on April 19 when thousands of law enforcement officers searched a 20-block area of nearby [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]]. Dzhokhar later said he was motivated by extremist [[Islamism|Islamic]] beliefs and learned to build explosive devices from [[Inspire (magazine)|''Inspire'']], the online magazine of [[al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Michael |last2=Schmidt |first2=Michael S. |last3=Schmitt |first3=Eric |title=Boston Suspects Are Seen as Self-Taught and Fueled by Web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/us/boston-marathon-bombing-developments.html |access-date=December 3, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=April 23, 2013}}</ref>

On November 8, 2016, Massachusetts voted in favor of the Massachusetts [[Legality of cannabis by U.S. jurisdiction|Marijuana Legalization Initiative]], also known as Question 4.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courant.com/politics/elections/hc-legal-marijuana-referendums-20161108-story.html|title=Recreational Marijuana Passes In Massachusetts|first=Russell|last=Blair|date=November 9, 2016 }}</ref>