Supreme Court Won't Rule On Gay Marriage This Term
The court has refused to hear appeals from five states.
The move means that gay marriage will now likely be permissible in 11 new states.
The rejection lets three federal appeals decisions take effect, legalizing same-sex marriage in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wisconsin and Indiana. Six other states - Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina - will likely follow because they fall under the jurisdiction of those appellate courts.
Twenty states still enforce gay marriage bans, however, and the Supreme Court's decision to decline ruling on gay marriage right now means that lower-court rulings, including those to ban same-sex marriage, are left in place.
This move is surprising to Supreme Court watchers who thought the court would almost certainly rule on gay marriage this term. This decision leaves the US with a mish-mash of different laws on gay marriage.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in July that the Supreme Court would not avoid the issue of gay marriage, according to the AP. But four of the five justices must agree to hear a case before it can go in front of the court.