(cnn)what a difference a couple of years makes a federal judge has struck down nebraska's ban on same sex marriage, calling it an 'unabashedly gender specific infringement of the equal rights of its citizens' us district judge joseph bataillon's decision monday means that same sex marriage is now against the law in fewer than one in four states nebraska state officials immediately appealed the ruling to the 8th circuit us court of appeals bataillon denied a state request to stay his decision and so, beginning monday the state must 'treat same sex couples the same as different sex couples' when it comes to marriage rights, the federal injunction reads as the dominoes fall in favor of same sex marriages, the question now seems to be which state will be the last? the number of states offering same sex marriages has surged since the us supreme court's ruling in 2013 that invalidated part of the federal defense of marriage act states like illinois, hawaii, minnesota and new york joined the fold voluntarily, while othersmost recently nebraska and alabamawere ordered by state or federal judges to offer and recognize the unions the case involving ohio, michigan, kentucky and tennessee is expected to be decided sometime in june by the us supreme court here's the situation in the 12 states that currently ban same sex marriages:  the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage, passed in 2004, was struck down twice last yearonce by a state court judge and again by a us district court judge local officials issued some 400 marriage licenses following the state court decision, but the state supreme court blocked the issuance of more licenses pending its review of the case a decision could come soon georgia is one of just two states with no legislative action or pending legal decisions whatsoever on same sex marriage the other is north dakota however, lawsuits are pending to overturn the state's 2004 ban the state's ban is being challenged in state court, where a judge last year ruled the law is unconstitutional, and in federal court, where a us district court judge took the rare step, for a federal judge, of backing such a ban the ban remains in place pending louisiana's appeal of the state court ruling on the federal level, a ruling is pending out of the us court of appeals for the fifth circuit, which heard arguments in the case in january last year, a us district court judge ruled that the state's constitutional amendment banning gay marriages had no 'legitimate purpose' the us court of appeals for the sixth circuit later overturned the ruling, reinstating gay marriage bans in kentucky and four other states the kentucky ban is part of the us supreme court case scheduled for arguments in april and a decision by june a us district court judge ruled last year that the state's same sex marriage ban was unconstitutional, resulting in the issuance of more than 300 marriage licenses that ended when the us court of appeals for the sixth circuit granted a stay the court later reinstated michigan's ban in the same ruling that reinstated kentucky's ban its fate will be decided by the supreme court decision due by june a state court judge ruled in november that missouri's 2004 constitutional ban on gay marriage was illegal attorney general chris koster appealed the ruling to the state supreme court but that court has indicated that it will not rule on the case until after the us supreme court decision just a few days after that state court ruling, a us district court judge struck down the state's marriage ban, but that decision has been stayed pending appeals while the state ban is in effect, officials in the st louis area have issued marriage licenses to same sex couples a us district court judge granted an injunction last year against the state's same sex marriage ban, describing it as unconstitutional the judge, however, postponed his ruling from going into effect to give the state time to appeal a federal appeals court heard arguments in the case in january in the meantime, the same sex marriage ban is still in effect same sex couples are challenging the state's ban in us district court, but a federal judge issued a ruling on january 20 delaying the proceedings until after the us supreme court rules us district court judge karen schreier struck down the state's same sex marriage ban in january, but blocked enforcement pending an appeal to the us court of appeals for the eighth circuit the state's ban was struck down in january 2014 by a federal judge who said it serves 'no legitimate governmental purpose' but, as in many other states, enforcement was delayed pending appeals the us court of appeals for the fifth circuit heard the case last month and a ruling is pending a federal appeals court judge upheld a ban last year on same sex marriages in  the state that decision is part of the us supreme court case expected to be finalized this summer in november 2014, the us court of appeals for the sixth circuit upheld the state's ban that decision also will be part of the us supreme court case
the us supreme court this year
12 states do not allow same sex marriages  the us supreme court could settle the issue for good when it rules this year 