U.S.
Tammy Ljungblad / The Kansas City Star / AP Photo
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed same-sex marriages to take place in Kansas by rejecting a last-minute request filed by state officials.
In a brief order, the court said it would not block a district court judge's ruling last week that struck down the state's gay marriage ban. The decision means marriage licenses can be issued to same-sex couples imminently.
The judge's ruling was supposed to go into effect Tuesday, but Justice Sonia Sotomayor temporarily put it on hold while the high court reviewed the case.
The district court judge's decision came in a lawsuit filed last month by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Two of the Supreme Court's nine justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, said they would have granted the state's request.
Kansas will become the 33rd state with gay marriage.
Couples married in these states will qualify for a range of federal benefits, including Social Security and veterans' benefits.
Wire services
Last updated: Nov 12.
Legal: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, ME, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV
Ban overturned, appeal pending: AR, FL, KY, MI, MO, OH, SC, TN, TX
Banned, currently challenged in court: AL, GA, LA, MS, MT, ND, NE, SD, WY
Sources: Associated Press, GLAAD
Legal
Ban overturned, appeal pending
Banned, currently challenged in court
Source: Associated Press, GLAAD
Decision sets up an inevitable final Supreme Court showdown as soon as 2015
Gay married couples to receive federal benefits in Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming
Error
Sorry, your comment was not saved due to a technical problem. Please try again later or using a different browser.