The Supreme Court announced today that it will hear two cases regarding same-sex marriage.

After deferring the decision for nearly two weeks, the Court announced that it will review the constitutionality of both California's Proposition 8, a 2008 voter-approved ban on gay marriage, and the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

The Proposition 8 case appeals a lower court ruling that narrowly struck down the same-sex marriage ban. Earlier Friday, the New York Times reported that "the California case has the potential to establish a right to same-sex marriage, effectively striking down the bans on such marriages in 39 states. The Defense of Marriage Act case, no matter the result, would be more likely to let those laws stand."

The DOMA case asks the Court to decide whether or not Congress can limit federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

The decision has been long awaited by activists on both sides of the same-sex marriage issue. According to Lyle Denniston of SCOTUSBlog, "It is ...

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