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 The seven different cases pending before the court were not
mentioned in a list of new cases the court agreed to hear on
Thursday ahead of its new term, which starts on Monday.
The move does not necessarily mean the court will decline to hear
the cases during the new term. It often takes more time to consider
particularly noteworthy or complicated cases before deciding whether
to take them up.
The court has seven cases pending before it concerning bans in five
states: Virginia, Utah, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Indiana. If the
court agrees to take one or more of the cases, it would have the
chance to rule when, if ever, gay men and women in the 31 states
that now bar them from marrying could get marriage licenses.
 Gay marriage advocates have won a stream of court victories since
the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in June 2013 in a case called U.S. v.
Windsor to strike down a key part of a federal law that had
restricted the definition of marriage to heterosexual couples for
the purpose of federal government benefits.
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The momentum within America's courts in favor of gay marriage
reflects a sea-change in public opinion in the past decade, with
polls showing a steady increase in support. Politicians, mostly
Democrats but also some notable Republicans, have increasingly
voiced their support for ending bans.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
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