Photo courtesy of Creative Commons/dbking

The court will hear two cases on gay marriage, Hollingsworth v. Perry on March 26 and United States v. Windsor on March 27, during a period that also includes cases on affirmative action, the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act, and the Defense of Marriage Act according to The Hill.

The first case involves California's constitutional amendment that forbids same-sex marriage. The Hill reports that California's marriage amendment will be hard for the justices to overturn, as it is unclear that the court will rule that there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage in every state.

The court had delayed ruling on California's Proposition 8 and the federal government's ban on same-sex benefits in early December 2012.

The second case concerns a federal law that denies gay couples who legally marry the right to receive the same federal benefits as heterosexual married couples, according to the Associated Press.  The court has allotted one hour's worth of arguments on each day, though Justices can extend the time frame if needed.

Some court observers expect the justices to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, as California Republican and Reagan-era conservative Justice Anthony Kennedy has often voted to expand gay rights and side with the more liberal justices on same-sex marriage rights.

From the New York Times:

     "We are in the midst of a major social change," Justice Carol A. Corrigan wrote in dissent. She said she supported allowing "our gay and lesbian neighbors" to marry. But she said change must come from the political process, not the courts.

Nine states - Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington- and the District of Columbia now allow gay marriage.

A ruling on same-sex marriage is expected to come during the end of the court's term, around early July, according to The Hill.

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage on same-sex marriage here.

Reach Executive Producer Brianna Sacks here.