Gay couples were allowed to begin seeking marriage licenses in Kansas on Wednesday after the Supreme Court lifted a stay issued Monday by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. There was speculation that last week’s rare loss for gay-marriage advocates — in which the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld gay-marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee — might make the Supreme Court extend the stay, as it’s now likely that they’ll take up the issue. However, as with other states fighting to keep their bans on same-sex marriage, the court refused to intervene. The only difference was that previous orders were apparently unanimous, and this one noted that justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas would have granted the stay. Kansas is now the 33rd state where, for the time being, gay couples can marry.
