Justices will hear gay marriage cases on April 28

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court will hear arguments over same-sex marriage on April 28 and make audio of the proceedings available later that day.

The gay marriage cases mark the only time this term that the court has agreed to the quick release of audio recordings. But the court is continuing its ban on providing video of its sessions or even live-streamed audio.

The arguments on gay marriage have been allotted two-and-a-half hours on the final Tuesday in April. Audio and the transcript of the proceedings should be available on the court’s website by 2 p.m. EDT, the court said Thursday in a statement.

The justices denied a request from The Associated Press and other media outlets for the quick release of audio of the argument Wednesday over the tax subsidies that are part of the health care overhaul. That audio will be made available on Friday.

The gay marriage cases come from the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, so far the only federal appellate court that has upheld state bans on same-sex marriages since the justices’ 2013 ruling striking down part of the federal anti-gay marriage law.

Lawyers on both sides will get 90 minutes to argue whether gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional right to marry everywhere in the U.S. Another hour will be devoted to the question of whether states must recognize same-sex unions performed elsewhere.

A decision is expected before July.