This story was updated at 2 p.m. Friday to include statements from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Values President Jonathan Saenz.

AUSTIN — The Texas Supreme Court said Friday that while same-sex marriage is legal, the "reach and ramifications" of the rights of gay couples have yet to be determined.

In a unanimous decision, the nine-member court reversed a lower court's ruling favoring the city of Houston's decision to extend health and life insurance benefits to the spouses of city employees in same-sex marriages. The court ordered the case sent back to the trial court in Houston.

The decision keeps alive the fight over same-sex unions in Texas just days after LGBT Americans celebrated the anniversary of the landmark ruling that handed them the right to marry.

In its ruling Friday, the Texas high court acknowledged that the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide two years ago in Obergefell vs. Hodges, but added that it is unclear what other rights the decision extends to same-sex couples. That must be hashed out in the courts in cases like this one, it said.



What happens next is largely up to Houston. City officials could appeal the decision directly to the U.S. Supreme Court or could choose to head back to trial. They did not comment Friday on what path the city would take, saying they are considering their legal options.

"The City of Houston will continue to be an inclusive city that respects the legal marriages of all employees," Mayor Sylvester Turner said. "Marriage equality is the law of the land, and everyone is entitled to the full benefits of marriage, regardless of the gender of their spouse."



On a practical level, the decision doesn't have an immediate effect on LGBT city employees in Houston. Their spouses will continue to receive benefits, as they have for years, while the case continues to be litigated.