More Falling Dominoes

This time in Idaho and Nevada:

Striking down bans on same-sex marriage in two states, and setting the stage for the same outcome in three others, a federal appeals court in San Francisco on Tuesday nullified laws in Idaho and Nevada. The ruling [pdf] by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is expected to control pending challenges to bans in Alaska, Arizona, and Montana.

With developments since Monday's refusal by the Supreme Court to get involved in the constitutional controversy at this point, it now seems clear that the same-sex marriage campaign has succeeded — or very soon will — in thirty-five of the fifty states, plus Washington, D.C. That is the combined result of federal and state court rulings, actions of voters in passing ballot measures, passage of new laws by state legislatures, and the Supreme Court's refusal to second-guess the near-unanimity of federal court rulings in favor of gay and lesbian marriage.

Nevada had decided not to defend its state ban, so there almost certainly won't be an appeal. Idaho may try to appeal, but "the Supreme Court's refusal on Monday to review the three other federal appeals courts' decisions that came out the same way might suggest little hope of succeeding with a challenge before the Justices."

Naturally, it wouldn't be the first time a state government has wasted taxpayer money continuing to fight to maintain as long as possible the legal right to discriminate against people seeking same-sex marriages, but the Supreme Court really made it pretty clear that there's truly no potential upside anymore.

The losers are losing at an exponentially accelerating rate.

Only fifteen states left to go. That is incredible. Congratulations, Idaho and Nevada!