32 States Ask High Court to Settle Gay Marriage

Thirty-two states are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the issue of same-sex marriage once and for all.

The request comes as a federal court struck down same-sex marriage bans in Wisconsin and Indiana.

Fifteen states that allow gay marriage are urging the high court to overturn gay marriage bans in Virginia, Utah, and Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, 17 other states that ban the practice are asking the court to hear cases from Utah and Oklahoma to clear up a series of lawsuits.

Since last year, the vast majority of federal rulings have declared same-sex marriages bans unconstitutional.

On Wednesday, however, a federal judge in Louisiana broke a recent nationwide streak of pro-gay marriage rulings by upholding that state's marriage amendment.

Currently, gay marriage is legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia.