The most recent case in point: Utah, viewed as a hot spot of antipathy toward same-sex marriage because it is home to the headquarters of the Mormon Church, which strongly opposes such marriages. The state so far has lost its efforts to halt a ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby that struck down Utah's marriage ban. Utah officials are expected to vigorously defend the ban, probably all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has not yet issued a broad ruling on same-sex marriage. Earlier this year, the high court struck down parts of the Defense of Marriage Act that affected federal recognition of state marriage laws, but that's a far cry from recognizing a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. It is unclear how the court would rule.