The Winston-Salem Journal:

Nearly a year after voters in North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue Tuesday and Wednesday in two different cases that could have national implications.

Winston-Salem residents who are on both sides of the issue will be watching closely. At 7 p.m. today, about 300 people will gather for the Light The Way To Justice vigil in front of U.S. District Court, at 251 North Main St., in support of equal rights for same-sex couples. And on Tuesday, opponents of same-sex marriage, including some from Winston-Salem, will board eight buses to travel from Raleigh to Washington, D.C., for a March for Marriage rally.

Legal experts say that the Supreme Court, which will issue a ruling in late June, could decide any number of ways on the two cases, which involve California’s Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage in that state, and the Defense of Marriage Act that bans same-sex marriage under federal law. The court could rule narrowly or issue a sweeping decision that would eventually affect North Carolina.