By Kira Yates ’16

The issue of whether gay marriage should be legalized or not has been extremely prevalent in the past few years, and especially the last few months.  In the United Sates, 37 states, along with the District of Columbia, already allow gay marriage. The other 13 states, including many of which are located in the deep South, are on different stages of legalizing gay marriage. While some states currently ban same-sex marriage, others have their case in the Supreme Court and still others are appealing the decision to prohibit gay marriage.

In January of 2015, the Supreme Court agreed to hear and rule on gay marriage cases from four states, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. In this case, the court is primarily examining two issues: whether the 14^th amendment requires states to license same-sex marriages and whether it requires states to recognize licensed same-sex marriages registered in other states. While the Kentucky case addresses both questions, the Michigan case involves the first and the Ohio and Tennessee cases involve the second question.

After deciding to hear the cases, the plaintiff’s briefs were due to the court on February 27. On March 27, the defendant’s briefs were due to the court. By April 17, both parties were required to turn in final replies to the briefs. The oral arguments were held on April 28 and a ruling on this issue is expected from the court before the current term ends in June.

This case has received a lot of publicity not only because of how long this debate has existed, but also because some justices are openly displaying their opinion on the issue. For example, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has presided over at least two same-sex weddings recently, and it was reported that throughout one of the ceremonies, she repeatedly emphasized the word “Constitution,” hinting at her opinion in favor of gay marriage.

With this potential landmark ruling approaching, Americans are more accepting of gay marriage than ever before.  In 2012, only 9 states and the District of Columbia allowed same-sex marriage. Now, 37 states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriages, meaning that in the last three years, 28 states have legalized same-sex marriages.  Similarly, 20 years ago, less than 30 percent of Americans supported gay marriage, but now, over 60 percent of Americans support gay marriage. Also, it is not just young people who support same-sex marriage, as more than half of citizens over 65 also support it.