The Supreme Court declined to hear a set of appeals on gay marriage, in one fell swoop effectively raising the number of states where the practice is legal from 19 to 30, in addition to Washington, D.C.
Here's the legal status of gay marriage in all 50 states:
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WHERE GAY MARRIAGE IS LEGAL (And when it was legalized):
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— CALIFORNIA (2013)
— COLORADO (Oct. 6, 2014) — Pueblo and Larimer counties began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples Monday, although official guidance from state Attorney General John Suthers is still pending.
— CONNECTICUT (2008)
— DELAWARE (2013)
— HAWAII (2013) — The state Legislature legalized gay marriage last year. Meanwhile, an appeal is pending of a federal court ruling that upheld Hawaii's previous ban.
— ILLINOIS (June 2014)
— INDIANA (Oct. 6, 2014) — Gov. Mike Pence reaffirmed his commitment to traditional marriage but said people are not free to disobey the Supreme Court decision to reject an appeal of a ruling striking down Indiana's gay marriage ban. County clerks issued a few licenses to same-sex couples.
— IOWA (2009)
— KANSAS (Oct. 6, 2014) — The American Civil Liberties Union says the Supreme Court decision in the 10th Circuit cases affects Kansas because it's in that circuit; the group plans to seek a federal court ruling to block Kansas' constitutional ban on gay marriage. Gov. Sam Brownback was defiant, saying he swore to uphold the constitution, and some same-sex couples who applied for marriage licenses were turned away.
— MAINE (2012)
— MARYLAND (2013)
— MASSACHUSETTS (2004) — The first state to legalize gay marriage.
— MINNESOTA (2013)
— NEW HAMPSHIRE (2010)
— NEW JERSEY (2013)
— NEW MEXICO (2013)
— NEW YORK (2011)
— NORTH CAROLINA (Oct. 6, 2014) — The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina says it will seek an immediate ruling in federal court overturning the state's ban. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has previously said he wouldn't challenge such a ruling.
— OKLAHOMA (Oct. 6, 2014) — The Tulsa County Court Clerk's Office issued a marriage license Monday to Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin, the couple who successfully challenged the state's ban on gay marriage. Several other Oklahoma counties also issued same-sex marriage licenses.
— OREGON (May 2014)
— PENNSYLVANIA (May 2014)
— RHODE ISLAND (2013)
— SOUTH CAROLINA (Oct. 6, 2014) — A lawyer for a gay couple seeking to overturn the state's ban on gay marriage said she will ask a federal judge to immediately rule in their favor. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said he will continue to fight to uphold the ban.
— UTAH (Oct. 6, 2014) — Gay couples in Utah began applying for marriage licenses, and a handful of same-sex weddings occurred in Salt Lake County after Gov. Gary Herbert directed state agencies to recognize the marriages Monday.
— VERMONT (2009) — The first state to offer civil unions, in 2001.
— VIRGINIA (Oct. 6, 2014) — Gay couples started marrying in Virginia. Thirty-year-old Lindsey Oliver and 42-year-old Nicole Pries received the first same-sex marriage license issued from the Richmond Circuit Court Clerk's office then were married by gay-rights advocate The Rev. Robin Gorsline.
— WASHINGTON, D.C. (2010)
— WASHINGTON STATE (2012)
— WEST VIRGINIA (Oct. 6, 2014) — Attorney General Patrick Morrisey was studying the implications for the state in light of the Supreme Court decision.
— WISCONSIN (Oct. 6, 2014) — County clerks began accepting applications from gay couples for marriage licenses which, by Wisconsin law, can't be issued until after a five-day waiting period. In Milwaukee and Dane counties, where most of the roughly 500 same-sex weddings took place this summer before a federal judge's decision was put on hold, a few couples applied for licenses.
— WYOMING (Oct. 6, 2014) — A state case, scheduled for a court hearing Dec. 15, is similar to gay marriage cases in federal court but Wyoming supporters weren't ready Monday to declare unconditional victory. They say same-sex marriage could be legal in the state by year's end.
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WHERE GAY MARRIAGE IS NOT LEGAL AND CASES ARE PENDING:
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— ALABAMA
— ALASKA
— ARIZONA — In a ruling that called into question Arizona's gay marriage ban, a U.S. District Court judge handed a victory Sept. 12 to a gay man denied death benefits after losing his spouse to cancer.
— ARKANSAS — A state judge in May struck down the state's ban. The state Supreme Court brought marriages to a halt and is weighing state officials' appeal. Same-sex couples are also suing the state in federal court. The attorney general's office has asked that proceedings in both cases be put on hold while the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to take up a case from Utah.
— FLORIDA — A federal judge declared the state's ban unconstitutional in mid-August, joining state judges in four counties. He issued a stay delaying the effect of his order, meaning no marriage licenses would be issued immediately issued for gay couples.
— GEORGIA
— IDAHO — State officials are appealing a federal judge's decision to overturn the state's ban. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in San Francisco heard arguments Sept. 8 along with appeals from Hawaii and Nevada.
— KENTUCKY — Two Kentucky cases were among six from four states heard in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Aug. 6. Rulings are pending on recognition of out-of-state marriages, as well as the ban on marriages within the state.
— LOUISIANA — A parish judge ruled Sept. 22 that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional; the attorney general has appealed to the state's Supreme Court.
— MICHIGAN — The state's ban was overturned by a federal judge in March following a rare trial that mostly focused on the impact on children. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati heard arguments Aug. 6, and a ruling is pending.
— MISSISSIPPI
— MISSOURI — Attorney General Chris Koster announced Monday he wouldn't appeal a state court order that Missouri recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other states. But two other same-sex marriage cases are pending in Missouri. One is a federal challenge in Kansas City; the other is a St. Louis case that focuses on city officials who issued marriage licenses to four same-sex couples to trigger a legal test of the ban.
— MONTANA
— NEBRASKA
— NEVADA — Eight couples are challenging Nevada's voter-approved 2002 ban, which a federal judge upheld a decade later. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel heard arguments Sept. 8, along with appeals from Hawaii and Idaho.
— NORTH DAKOTA
— OHIO — Two Ohio cases were argued Aug. 6 in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and a ruling is pending. In one, two gay men whose spouses were dying sued to have their out-of-state marriages recognized on their spouses' death certificates. In the other, four couples sued to have both spouses listed on their children's birth certificates.
— SOUTH DAKOTA
— TENNESSEE — The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Aug. 6 on an appeal of a federal judge's order to recognize three same-sex couples' marriages while their lawsuit against the state works through the courts. A ruling is pending.
— TEXAS — A federal judge declared the state's ban unconstitutional, issuing a preliminary injunction. The state is appealing to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which is soon expected to set a date for arguments.
