(Newswire.net — October 6, 2014) — By choosing not to interfere, the move sparkled a chain of events which allow gay men and women to marry in five states where same-sex weddings were previously prohibited.
Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Utah will further bring along six other states, as lower court judges in those states must abide by their appeals court rulings.
North Carolina, West Virginia, South Carolina, Wyoming, Kansas and Colorado will also be affected by the Supreme Court’s decision, meaning the number of states with gay marriage is likely to quickly jump from 19 to 30.
Presuming the Supreme Court remains outside the legal fray, appeals courts in Cincinnati and San Francisco are considering cases that could expand that number further.
“Any time same-sex couples are extended marriage equality is something to celebrate, and today is a joyous day for thousands of couples across America who will immediately feel the impact of today’s Supreme Court action,” Chad Griffin, president of the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement.
Because the high court’s action means that the appeals court’s rulings are no longer on hold, gay couples in the affected states may, in a burst of happiness, seek to get married immediately, which may invoke chaotic scenes in some parts of the country.
The high court’s decision to dodge cases was unexpected because most legal experts believed it would want to weigh in on a question of equal rights for all, that balanced on the edge from one lower court to another.
The court could still take a future case, but its move on Monday is likely to send a strong signal to lower court judges that rulings striking down marriage bans are consistent with the US Constitution.
There is no deeply rooted legal tradition that supports a right to gay marriage, thus the Constitution does not dictate how states should define marriage, state officials said defending their bans.
However, the momentum within America’s courts in favor of gay marriage sends a wave of change to a public, as polls showing a steady increase in support of gay marriages.
The Politicians, mostly Democrats but also some notable Republicans, have increasingly voiced their support for ending bans.