The U.S. Supreme Court stepped squarely into the same-sex marriage debate when it agreed on Dec. 7, 2012, to review two important lower court decisions involving gay marriage. Find out what that may mean for the future of same-sex marriage in the U.S.

In recent years, same-sex marriage has been a contentious subject within many religious groups in the U.S. Here is an overview of where 16 religious groups stand on this issue.

Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage following a ruling by the state's highest court in 2003. To date, courts, legislatures and voters in nine states and the District of Columbia have legalized gay marriage, while 30 states have amended their constitutions to ban gay marriage. View a map that shows each state’s current policy on same-sex marriage.