The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases involving gay marriage this week.
A ruling on the cases – one involving the federal government's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the other a challenge to California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage – should come in June.
"A decision saying that DOMA is unconstitutional because it discriminates against people based on their sexual orientation, and requiring the federal government to give full recognition to the existing marriages of same-sex couples, would be a huge victory,"Paul Smith of the Washington, D.C., law firm of Jenner & Block told NBC News.
Essentially, DOMA could be overturned on the grounds that it is discriminatory in denying benefits on the basis of sexual orientation and creates "unequal classes," the Washington Post reported.
As for the California case, the Washington Post reported that the case centered on whether California's ban violated the federal Constitution. The case opens up the possibility of establishing gay marriage as a right – although the newspaper reported that justices seemed reluctant during oral arguments to go down that road and issue a sweeping decision.
A video report attached to this post includes quotes and arguments from several of the Supreme Court justices.