This past Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that it will hear appeals this term from four circuit courts that ruled on gay marriage last year. The ruling will resolve one of the greatest civil rights questions of this generation, and is set to take place in June.

To be precise, Business Insider reports that the four appeals will come from Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, and Michigan. The four cases will be consolidated and heard in April before the final ruling in June.

The appeals come after justices ducked the issue of gay marriage in October, refusing to hear appeals from rulings allowing same-sex marriage in five states. Their refusal came as something of a victory for gay rights - the New York Times reports that it immediately expanded the number of states with same-sex marriage to 24, along with the District of Columbia, up from 19.

The Supreme Court has been famously divided on the issue of same-sex marriage. In 2013, a pair of rulings resulted in 5-4 decisions, indicating that the court could not come to a unanimous decision.

However, this time they have made the topics in consideration very clear. Two questions will be answered:  whether the Fourteenth Amendment requires "a state to license a marriage between two people of the same sex," and whether it requires states to "recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex when their marriage was lawfully licensed and performed out-of-state."

Gay rights advocates have recently expressed confidence that their cause will prevail. Jon W. Davidson, the legal director of Lambda Legal, stated, "We are finally within sight of the day when same-sex couples across the country will be able to share equally in the joys, protections and responsibilities of marriage."

However, supporters of traditional marriage are not happy. Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, stated, "There is nothing in the Constitution that empowers the courts to silence the people and impose a nationwide redefinition of marriage."

What is your take on the issue?