Gay couples have one more state to go to get married after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected on Friday a request to ban same-sex marriages in that state. Members of the LGBT community have Justice Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas to thank for granting the motion.

Significantly, five of these 35 states where gay unions are permitted - California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Florida - are the most populous states in the country.

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The two justices did not explain why they favored same-sex marriage nor did the Supreme Court made a landmark ruling overturning lower court decisions that declare the prohibition on gay marriages as unconstitutional.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi elevated the case to the Supreme Court after three judges of the Court of Appeals 11^th Circuit rejected Florida's petition to continue the stay on the ban on gay marriages that would lapse on January 5, 2015. The petition was in response to the decision in August by a U.S. district judge in Tallahassee to strike down the state's ban.

In her petition, Bondi argued, quoted by Washington Post, "If Florida's law is going to change ... it should happen only after the order undergoes appellate review." She added, "The public interest is not served by on-again, off-again marriage laws."

While some courts have favored gay weddings, the U.S. Court of Appeals 6^th Circuit had rejected challenge in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky.

With the decision, same-sex wedding ceremonies could be officiated beginning January 6, a day after the stay ends.

In response to the court decision, Bondi said in a statement, "Our goal was to have uniformity throughout Florida until a final resolution of challenges."

While Bondi has bowed to the court decision, chaos could still happen on January 6 because it is unclear if the Tallahassee judge's ruling covers only the gay couple on whom the case was based or it applies to all same-sex marriage applications in all Florida counties.

Tagssame sex marriage, gay unions, Florida