NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas took their stands against same-sex marriage last Friday before a federal appellate court with a legacy of pushing Deep South conservatives out of their comfort zones on civil rights.

The justices, Patrick Higginbotham and Jerry Smith, took no action during their private conference in Washington, but could decide next week whether to consider this issue this term. This means that cases could be argued and decided by late June.

Theirs could be among the last federal appellate hearings before the Supreme Court decides the issue. A split among the appellate courts makes an eventual intervention by the Supreme Court very likely.

There are only 14 states that still prohibit same-sex unions.