A majority of Americans want the
Supreme Court to strike down state bans on gay marriage, a new poll
has found.
According to the Wall
Street Journal/NBC
News poll of 1,000 adults conducted April 26-30, 58 percent of
respondents said they would favor the “Supreme Court deciding that
gays have a constitutional right to marry, which would have the
effect of legalizing gay marriage throughout the country,” while 37
percent said they were opposed.
Last week, the nation's highest court
heard arguments in a case challenging bans in Ohio, Tennessee,
Kentucky and Michigan. A ruling is expected in June.
(Related: Supreme
Court justices appear divided on gay marriage.)
Pollsters also found a plurality (44%)
of respondents don't believe the country has gone far enough to end
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Twenty percent said that the nation had gone too far.
The issue played out last month in
Indiana, where its Republican governor was forced to ask lawmakers to
“fix” a so-called religious freedom bill to include LGBT
protections.