At a September 29 closed-door
conference, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to hear
cases from five states challenging bans on gay marriage.
The justices formally added the cases
to their agenda on Wednesday.
Federal appeals courts have struck down
marriage bans in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana and Wisconsin.
Officials in each state have asked the high court to intervene.
The justices are under no obligation to
hear any of the cases and could decide to delay their decision.
In July, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
predicted the court would not hesitate to consider the issue.
“If a case is properly before the
court, they will take it,” Ginsburg said.
Additional cases are also in the legal
pipeline. Federal appeals courts have already heard arguments in
cases challenging restrictive marriage bans in Hawaii, Nevada, Idaho,
Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. Cases challenging bans from
Texas and Florida remain at the appellate court level.