Affirming marriage equality, Supreme Court won’t hear same-sex appeals

The Supreme Court has officially declined to review all petitions stemming from state bans on same-sex marriage [PDF], meaning lower court decisions stand and laws banning such unions have been struck down in multiple states across the U.S. The decision was handed down without comment.

The justices had presaged such an action last week when none of the same-sex challenges were among the 11 cases the court added to its docket, but now it’s official. Decisions in Indiana, Wisconsin, Utah, Oklahoma and in three cases from Virginia — where state marriage restrictions were ruled unconstitutional — stand. Other states under the jurisdiction of those appeals courts, including the Carolinas, West Virginia, Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming are also likely to see an end to laws barring unions by same-sex couples because the precedent of the circuit court rulings would apply.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had hinted last month that the high court might not take any of the pending cases because there was essentially no disagreement in the appeals court decisions.

With today’s move, 24 states now have legal same-sex marriage. Barring a major change in the makeup of the Supreme Court, it’s the expectation that this number will continue grow.