The US Supreme Court just wrapped up oral arguments in four cases that could lead to the legalization of gay marriage across the country.
It wasn’t immediately clear from the justices’ questions how they might rule. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who is considered the swing vote, asked several skeptical questions and said he was wary of changing a definition of marriage that “has been with us for millennia.” But justices commonly probe lawyers on both sides of case, so Kennedy’s vote could still go either way.
Several of the court’s liberal justices argued that marriage is a fundamental right that belongs to all Americans. “You are not taking away anything from heterosexual couples” by allowing homosexual couples to marry, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said.
The court is expected to issue its decision by the end of its term in late June. Until then, there will be plenty of speculation about how the justices will rule, so you might as well listen to the arguments yourself. Here is the full 90-minute session on the question of whether the US Constitution guarantees the right of same-sex couples to marry:
Another question the court may decide, on whether states must recognize gay marriages conducted in other states, will be argued separately.