There are 37 states now where same-sex couples can legally get married, and another 9 states where the bans on same-sex marriage have been declared unconstitutional(but stayed pending a higher court decision. Only four states have had their same-sex marriage bans upheld by a Circuit Court of Appeals (Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee).
The Supreme Court of the United States has accepted cases from those four states for review, and will issue an opinion on the constitutionality of those bans in early summer. Most expect the bans to be overturned by at least a 5 to 4 vote. This brings up the question -- Does the American public think same-sex marriage bans are constitutional or unconstitutional?
A recent CNN / ORC Poll answers that for us. Their survey was done between February 12th and 15th of a random national sample of 1,027 adults, and has a margin of error of 3 points. It turns out that most Americans (a whopping 63%) say the Constitution gives same-sex couples the same right to marry as everyone else. That's huge -- and I think it shows that support for legalizing same-sex marriages is still growing in this country. And it should also put the Supreme Court more at ease if they choose to outlaw the state bans on those marriages.
The two charts at the bottom of this post (from that same survey) show the demographic breakdown of those thinking the Constitution does or does not guarantee equal rights for same-sex couples. Note that nearly every group has a significant majority supporting the constitutionality of same-sex marriages. The only outliers are those dwelling in rural areas (who are split on the question) and Republicans (who say those marriages are not protected by the Constitution by 42% to 55%).
America is growing up, and ready to take another step in insuring equal rights for all.
