The court could also decide to take no action on the cases at this stage. If the court were to decline to take them, appeals court rulings that struck down the bans would go into effect and other bans in certain states would likely fall as a result, but there would be no national ruling.
Across the country, a wave of court rulings favored arguments for gay marriage, prompted by the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in U.S. v. Windsor. In that case, the justices struck down a key part of a law called the Defense of Marriage Act that restricted the definition of marriage to heterosexual couples for the purposes of federal benefits.
If the Supreme Court agrees to hear at least one of the pending cases, oral arguments would be heard early next year and a ruling would come by the end of June. Additional lawsuits testing other state bans are also in the pipeline.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
Article Appeared @http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/29/us-usa-court-gaymarriage-idUSKCN0HO1GA20140929