EQUALITY

SCOTUS Doesn’t Act on Gay Marriage

But didn’t decline to take the cases either.

It’s not good news or bad news for gay marriage advocates: it’s no news. The Supreme Court didn’t take any action Friday as to whether it will hear two high-profile gay marriage cases. The court’s silence doesn’t mean the justices are refusing to ever take the cases on—it just means that they still haven’t made a decision, though it was widely expected they would today. The court has been asked to consider the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, which states that same-sex marriages conducted in states where gay marriage is legal aren’t recognized by the federal government. The court also must decide whether to review California’s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state less than six months after it was legalized.