U.S. Supreme Court justices will hold a private conference to discuss whether to hear same-sex marriage cases. (Kjetil Ree)
The U.S. Supreme Court will hold a private conference on Friday, Jan. 9, to decide whether it will make a decision on same-sex marriage cases. This is the Supreme Court's first development in the matter since it refused to hear petitions from Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin to reevaluate appellate courts’ decisions in October 2014.
The Supreme Court's conference does not ensure that it will hear one or more same-sex marriage cases, but legal experts expect it will. Bill Duncan, director of the Provo-based Marriage Law Foundation, said the Supreme Court has responsibility to clarify what the Constitution says. 'It's more likely than not that they'll take the case,' he said.
Duncan speculated the court will make arguments to take a long time to hear and make a decision about the case due to its magnitude.
Legalization of same-sex marriage has increased dramatically since October, with 36 states now allowing it.