On Friday, Arizona and Alaska became the latest states to allow same-sex marriages, bringing the total number of states with gay marriage up to 31 and the collective population of these states to almost 200 million, up from 165 million last week, according to 2013 census figures.
U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick ruled on Friday that Arizona’s anti-gay marriage amendment was unconstitutional, and state attorney general Tom Horne said appealing the ruling would “waste the taxpayer’s money.” Also on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a plea from Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, effectively bringing same-sex marriages to Alaska. Finally, four states — Montana, Wyoming, Kansas and South Carolina — currently fall under the jurisdiction of appellate courts that struck down gay marriage bans and are likely to soon allow same-sex couples to marry.