Supreme Court Will Take Up Gay Marriage After All

Landmark cases expected shape the future of marriage equality movement

The Supreme Court will take up California’s ban on same-sex marriage and the federal Defense of Marriage Act in its next term, court justices announced on Friday. They will review a federal appeals court ruling that struck down California’s voter-approved ban on gay marriages, as well as DOMA, the federal ban on health, pension and tax benefits, which are restricted to heterosexual couples. The cases are likely to be argued in March, with decisions expected in late June. The landmark cases are expected to shape the future of the marriage equality movement in America. Same sex marriage is already legal in nine states -- Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Washington – and the District of Columbia. Thirty-one states have amended their constitutions to prohibit same-sex marriages; the latest to do so was North Carolina, in May. (Associated Press)

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