On November 6th, a federal appeals court upheld 4 state bans on gay marriage. This is the first court to come to this ruling, as literally every other court has ruled against gay marriage bans.

The U.S. Court of Appeals of the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio ruled 2-1 that, though support for gay marriage is increasing throughout the nation, each state may make its own decision on the legality of same-sex marriage. The New York Times reported that U.S. Circuit Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton noted that “…such a profound change in the institution of marriage should be decided not by ‘an intermediate court’ like his, but by ‘the less expedient, but usually reliable, work of the state democratic processes.’”

The court’s ruling overturned the decisions of lower courts in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky and is the first court to uphold state bans since the federal Defense of Marriage Act was revised by the Supreme Court in 2013. After its decision, the court did not add any explanation. Experts predict that the Supreme Court will eventually have to take a stand on the issue of same-sex marriage.