The Supreme Court on Tuesday pushed
back the date on which it will consider whether to review six cases
related to gay marriage.
The high court was scheduled to
consider the cases on November 20 but has rescheduled its private
conference for November 30.
Cases related to marriage equality
petitioned to the court include four challenges to the Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA), one challenge to California's Proposition 8 and
one challenge to Arizona's decision to end domestic partnership
benefits for state employees.
DOMA forbids federal agencies from
recognizing the legal marriages of gay couples. Passage of
Proposition 8 in 2008 put an end to the weddings of gay couples
taking place in California after the state Supreme Court legalized
marriage equality.
Adam Umhoefer, executive director of
the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), which is
representing the two couples seeking to marry in California, said the
“updated timeline suggests that we will likely find out if our case
will be heard by the nation's highest court, or if marriages can
resume in California, by Monday, December 3.”
The court could also hold the case for
future consideration.
(Related: David
Boies predicts Supreme Court will overturn gay marriage ban Prop. 8.)