Tim Obergefell sat in the Supreme Court on a June morning more than two years ago and listened as Justice Anthony Kennedy read an opinion that would re-shape the lives of LGBT Americans by clearing the way for same-sex marriage nationwide.

"They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right," Kennedy wrote in the opinion.

"Sitting in the court room, once it finally stuck that Justice Kennedy was saying we had won," Obergefell remembered in a recent interview. "I realized for the first time in my life as an out gay man, that I felt like an equal American."

Another Supreme Court term is set to begin in October, however, and there will be a new plaintiff in town.

Jack Phillips is bringing a different LGBT-related fight to the highest court in the land, and he hopes the justices will deliver a victory to like-minded people who say they are waging a fight for religious liberty.

Phillips -- who owns a bakery in Colorado called Masterpiece Cakeshop -- argues he can't be compelled to violate his sincerely held religious beliefs and create and decorate a cake for a same-sex couple to celebrate their marriage.

Two plaintiffs -- past and present -- will watch this term to see how the Supreme Court handles the language of Obergefell v. Hodges.

To be sure, the core holding of the landmark case is not in jeopardy. But supporters of LGBT rights fear the court could chip away at its principles concerning equality and dignity. And opponents place emphasis on the parts of Kennedy's opinion that stress respect for "those who adhere to religious doctrines."