After winning re-election by defeating Republican opponent Mitt Romney , Obama was sworn in for a second term in 2013 . During this term , he promoted inclusiveness for LGBT Americans . His administration filed briefs that urged the Supreme Court to strike down same-sex marriage bans as unconstitutional ( '' United States v. Windsor '' and '' Obergefell v. Hodges '' ) ; same-sex marriage was fully legalized in 2015 after the Court ruled that a same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional in '' Obergefell '' . He advocated for gun control in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting , indicating support for a ban on assault weapons , and issued wide-ranging executive actions concerning climate change and immigration . In foreign policy , he ordered military intervention in Iraq in response to gains made by ISIL after the 2011 withdrawal from Iraq , continued the process of ending U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan in 2016 , promoted discussions that led to the 2015 Paris Agreement on global climate change , initiated sanctions against Russia following the invasion in Ukraine and again after Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections , brokered a nuclear deal with Iran , and normalized U.S. relations with Cuba . Obama nominated three justices to the Supreme Court : Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were confirmed as justices , while Merrick Garland faced unprecedented partisan obstruction and was ultimately not confirmed . During his term in office , America 's soft power and reputation abroad significantly improved
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Barack Obama