It didn’t take long for the backlash to emerge after the Supreme Court handed down Obergefell v. Hodges. From opponents of same-sex marriage one heard the usual empty talk about constitutional amendments and civil disobedience. The fiercer—and uglier—backlash came from the victors.

A case in point is the Patriot-News. The Harrisburg, Pa., paper rushed out an editorial that began celebratorily enough: “June 26 just became a de facto national holiday for gay Americans. . . . [Justice Anthony] Kennedy nailed it: There are no rights...