It's a terrible thing to ponder, but Mark Sherman
takes a look at what might happen if the Supreme Court upholds same-sex marriage bans—the very ones that have been overturned in most of the states where gay marriage is now legal.
Among the 36 states in which same-sex couples can now marry are 20 in which federal judges invoked the Constitution to strike down marriage bans.
Those rulings would be in conflict with the nation's highest court if the justices uphold the power of states to limit marriage to heterosexual couples. A decision is expected by late June in cases from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.
Top officials in some states, including California, seem determined to allow gay and lesbian couples to continue to marry no matter how the court decision comes out. But some county clerks, who actually issue marriage licenses, might not go along, experts said.
In other states, a high court ruling in favor of state bans would serve to prohibit any more such unions but also could give rise to new efforts to repeal marriage bans through the legislature or the ballot.
In short, what we're talking about is total chaos. But before we go down that rabbit hole, let's remember that the Supreme Court
originally declined to hear a same-sex marriage case even though three federal appeals courts had already struck down marriage bans. It wasn't until the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
upheld a ban, that the High Court decided to step in.