Gay marriages cases re-set for Nov. 30

The Supreme Court will consider all ten of the same-sex marriagepetitions at its private Conference on November 30, instead of at the next session on November 20, according to the Court’s electronic docket. Eight of thefilings deal with the constitutionality of the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, limiting marriage for all federal purposes to a union of a man and awoman. One petition deals with the validity of an Arizona law, similar to DOMA, that limits benefits for married state employees. And the tenth is an attempt to revive California’s “Proposition 8,” imposing a statewide ban on marriage for gays and lesbians. All of the laws at issue had been struck down in lower courts.

The Court has given no reason for re-scheduling these petitions, but one possible explanation is that the choice of which to review and what issues to consider is a complex one that may require added time for consideration.