INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO): Monday, Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore David Long issued the following statement regarding the announcement that the U.S. Supreme Court will not take up a same-sex marriage case this term:

“It is surprising, given the importance of this issue to our society, that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to take up this matter, but instead to rely upon lower court rulings. That being said, the Court appears to have sent a message that if they ultimately do hear these cases, they will support these lower court rulings, and find that same-sex marriage is on equal footing with traditional marriage.  Today’s decision opens the door for the 7^th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to lift the stay of its prior ruling on same-sex marriage in Indiana, and to order our county clerks to begin issuing marriage certificates to same-sex couples. Because the U.S. Constitution is supreme to all state constitutions when it comes to a conflict between them, the effort to amend the Indiana Constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman would appear to be over unless the U.S. Supreme Court reverses its decision and ultimately takes up the matter in the future to overturn the current decision by the 7^th Circuit concerning Indiana law. Given today’s ruling, that appears unlikely.”