New Same-Sex Marriage Poll: Three-Fifths Of Americans Want Supreme Court To Legalize Gay Marriage

A new poll shows that the majority of Americans would like to see the Supreme Court rule in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage throughout the country. The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll reveals that about three-in-five Americans favor a pro-gay marriage ruling, a ratio that is virtually unchanged from when the same question was asked two months ago.

Fifty-seven percent of those polled indicated that they would prefer a ruling that legalized the unions throughout the country, and just 37 percent opposed the measure. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down a ruling on same-sex marriage rights sometime this month, which is widely expected to favor gay marriage advocates in the country.

Democrats and independents clearly preferred a pro equal-rights ruling from the Supreme Court. Seventy-four percent of Democrats and 62 percent of independents said they prefer a ruling that legalizes gay marriage, while 33 percent of Republicans felt the same way.

Currently, 37 states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage on the books, leaving just 13 where the unions aren't recognized. That's a huge jump from 11 years ago when the first gay marriage law was passed in Massachusetts. In a speech for Pride Month on Wednesday, President Barack Obama touted that fast progress, which has been particularly noticeable since he took office.

"When I became president, same-sex marriage was legal in only two states. Today it’s legal in 37 states and the District of Columbia," he said in the East Room of the White House.

Which includes progress for politicians, including President Obama who opposed gay marriage during his 2008 campaign and switched in 2012. In terms of public opinion, the tides turned in 2011, and popular approval of same-sex marriage legalization has only increased since.

“A decade ago politicians ran against LGBT rights, today they’re running towards them,” Obama said. “They’ve learned what the rest of the country knows, that marriage equality is about our civil rights and our firm belief that every citizen must be treated equally under the law.”

This month's Supreme Court ruling won't be the first time that the Court has ruled on equal rights. In 2012, the Court struck down a major component of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which created full federal recognition of same-sex marriages performed legally in the country.

The poll was conducted between June 14 and 18, and 1,000 adults were reached by either landline or cell phone. The margin of error is 3.1 points.