"We are finally within sight of the day when same-sex couples across the country will be able to share equally in the joys, protections and responsibilities of marriage," Jon W. Davidson, the legal director of Lambda Legal, told the New York Times.
The decision comes after the justices evaded the issue in October, according to the New York Times, when they refused to hear appeals from rulings allowing same-sex marriages in five states. As a result, increased the number of states permitting gay marriage from 19 to 24. Currently, 36 states and Washington, D.C. allow same-sex marriage. Three in four same-sex couples live in a state where they are allowed to marry, according to the Washington Post.
The court consolidated the cases against the governors of Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and Kentucky, and will allot two-and-a-half hours to arguments on the question, according to the legal brief.
This will be the first time the court will hear a case on the issue of gay marriage since 2013, according to the New York Times. The timing of the case has been somewhat politicized, according to the Los Angeles Times, which believes that the court wants to make a ruling to not seem behind on the issue, as more states legalize gay marriage, and public support for it has grown across the country
The court will hear the arguments in March, and decide on the case in June, according to the BBC.
