In an unanticipated move, the United States Supreme Court announced on Friday, January 16th, that the court will make a decision on the historic issue of whether gay and lesbian couples across the country have the right to marry, and whether those marriages should be recognized by all the states in the country.
Staff Reporter
The Supreme Court, or SCOTUS, as it is widely referred to by watchers of the court, will hear cases that are challenging the single appellate ruling from the United States Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit that upheld the ban restricting gay marriage in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
The justices of the court will hear oral arguments on the issue for two and a half hours in April, allotting the cases an extra hour and a half of oral argument, and setting a precedent for the significance of the case
In 2013, only 12 states and the District of Columbia permitted same-sex marriage. Since then, based on rulings of lower courts, that number has tripled to 36 states, leaving only 14 states where gay and lesbian couples are not permitted to wed, nor have their out-of-state union recognized by their home state. But with the 36 states that now allow same-sex marriage, that means that more than 70 percent of Americans now live in a state where gays can marry.
In October, Indiana, Utah, Wisconsin, Virginia and Oklahoma petitioned the Court to hear cases to maintain their gay marriage bans. The Supreme Court declined, allowing gay marriages to take place in those states.
The prevalence of the lower courts’ rulings on allowing same-sex marriage seemed inevitable until the Sixth Circuit ban in November. Now with the lower courts in conflict on the validity of same-sex marriages and recognition, the Supreme Court is poised to make a definitive ruling that will set a nationwide precedent on gay marriage.
While there is still a chance that SCOTUS may punt on the issue yet again, national opinion is on the side of a same-sex marriage victory. Even Attorney General Eric Holder signaled that he and the Obama Administration would urge the court, “…to make marriage equality a reality for all Americans."
With Texas being one of the remaining 14 states that neither permit gay marriage, nor recognize out-of-state gay marriages, the Supreme Court decision stands to offer a profound and potentially dramatic shift in attitudes in the state regarding gays and lesbians.
The news of the pending decision already has a few members of the University of Houston-Downtown student body excited. Although UHD Junior Joshua Burgman says he has no plans to marry anytime soon, he looks forward to the day that he can do so freely without any legal roadblocks. “As an openly gay man, I believe that it is about time the [Supreme] Court decided to step in and settle the matter for good,” he said. “If the United States wants to continue being a symbol of equality and justice, it would be wise to disavow laws that exclude large sections of the population.”
The Supreme Court will announce their decision on the landmark issue when the current Supreme Court session ends in June.