Last week, a wealth of activity emanated from the United States Supreme Court when it denied hearing appeals from five states trying to keep their bans on same-sex marriage.

Before this decision, a federal appeals court in San Francisco declared it illegal to ban same-sex marriage in both Idaho and Nevada. After an initial hiccup in which Justice Anthony Kennedy placed a temporary stay on allowing licenses in both Nevada and Idaho — intending to grant a stay only for Idaho — it was eventually lifted, and gay marriage bans are now illegal in both states.

This is particularly impressive in Idaho, an exceptionally conservative state, where Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter insists that he will not fight the ban. Though he accused the Supreme Court of “undermining the will of Idaho voters,” he conceded that the state must follow the rule of law.

There has been enough delay in a federal ruling on this pressing social issue. While the Supreme Court’s decision could be interpreted as support for gay marriage equality, it’s more likely that the high court is simply postponing making an official judgment on the topic until it must make a ruling.

With support for marriage equality hovering above 50 percent in the past year, Minnesota legalizing same-sex marriage and traditionally conservative states allowing gay marriage, change is inevitable.

It’s time for the Supreme Court to finally take this issue head-on and make an official ruling in favor of marriage equality across the nation.