The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up cases seeking to defend bans on same-sex marriage in five states, a move that affirms lower court rulings striking down those bans and effectively establishes gay marriage in each of those states.
The order came without further explanation from the justices. It amounts to a surprising and historic move by the high court.
“This is a watershed moment for the entire country,” James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project, said in a statement.
“We are one big step closer to the day when all same-sex couples will have the freedom to marry regardless of where they live,” he said. “The time has come and the country is ready.”
The denial does not establish same-sex marriage across the country, but it does send a green light of encouragement to lawyers for same-sex couples nationwide seeking to strike down similar state laws and constitutional amendments enforcing the traditional definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman.