Weddings, court rulings and confusion are defining a week that started with the U.S. Supreme Court denying appeals from five states seeking to retain their bans on same-sex marriage. Some of the 11 states affected by the denial went ahead with weddings; others are proceeding toward marriage deliberately. Others are putting up a fight.

DENVER — Supporters of same-sex marriage in Colorado are celebrating their legal victory but also trying to help advance their cause elsewhere. Gov. John Hickenlooper and others, including software entrepreneur Tim Gill and representatives of the ACLU and NAACP, rallied Wednesday at the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The first motion hearing in the lawsuit challenging South Dakota’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage has been scheduled in Sioux Falls. Judge Karen Schreier has scheduled oral arguments for Oct. 17 on South Dakota’s request to dismiss the lawsuit brought by six same-sex couples in May.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A judge in Charleston appears to be waiting for instructions from the South Carolina Supreme Court before issuing the first same-sex marriage license in the state. Probate Court Judge Irving Condon had said he would issue licenses to about 15 families after the state’s 24-hour waiting period for a marriage license expired.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy mistakenly blocked the start of same-sex marriage in Nevada in an order that spawned confusion among state officials and disappointment in couples hoping to be wed. Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg confirmed this mix-up Thursday, saying Kennedy’s order issued a day earlier…

TALLINN, Estonia — Estonia on Thursday became the first former Soviet nation to legalize gay partnerships, while Kyrgyzstan – another ex-Soviet republic thousands of kilometers east – considers anti-gay legislation. The parallel moves reflect starkly divergent paths taken by the countries that once were parts of the Soviet empire.

CINCINNATI — After a series of developments on same-sex marriage this week, there’s growing anticipation for a ruling by the federal appeals court based in Cincinnati. A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments two months ago on challenges to gay marriage bans in four states. Its eventual ruling could help…

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming will continue to defend a state law that defines marriage as existing only between a man and a woman despite federal appeals court rulings upholding gay marriage in other states, Gov. Matt Mead said Wednesday.

Confusion and uncertainty over gay marriage spread Wednesday as couples in Las Vegas wondered whether they’d be allowed to wed, and partners in Idaho dealt with disappointment after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling blocked them moments before they would have picked up marriage licenses.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The state of Florida on Wednesday issued its first death certificate recognizing a same-sex couple. The Florida Department of Health issued an updated death certificate that listed Fort Myers resident Arlene Goldberg as the surviving spouse of Carol Goldwasser. With the death certificate, the couple became the first same-sex…

LAS VEGAS — After a day of on-again, off-again developments, the county clerk at the busy Las Vegas marriage bureau has decided against issuing same-sex marriage licenses. Clark County Clerk Diana Alba said late Wednesday afternoon she didn’t know when she and other county clerks in the state would be able to begin issuing licenses for same-sex marriages.

LEBANON, Ind. — Some Indiana counties still are balking at issuing same-sex marriage licenses. WISH-TV reported Wednesday that Boone, Crawford, Clay, Lawrence and Jefferson counties were not yet issuing the same-sex licenses.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is asking the state Supreme Court to stop a Charleston County judge from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Wilson’s office filed its petition late Wednesday afternoon.

RALEIGH, N.C. — A federal judge in North Carolina has lifted stays in two cases challenging the state’s ban on same-sex marriages on Wednesday, a possible sign he’s preparing to strike down the prohibition as unconstitutional.

LAS VEGAS — A group fighting to keep Nevada’s state ban on same-sex marriage wants the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate a short-lived ruling that blocked weddings from taking place.

OLATHE, Kan. — A judge in Kansas’ most populous county ordered it Wednesday to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, following actions earlier this week by the U.S. Supreme Court. Johnson County Chief District Judge Kevin Moriarty said his order was meant to avoid confusion about the legal climate surrounding same-sex marriages…

WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has allowed same-sex marriage to begin in Nevada, clarifying that an earlier order blocking gay unions applies only to Idaho. Kennedy said in a brief order issued Wednesday afternoon that he is temporarily putting on hold same-sex marriage in Idaho, where state officials have asked …

WASHINGTON — The rabbi of a prominent synagogue in Washington D.C. is telling his congregants that he’s gay, and that he and his wife of 20 years are divorcing. The Washington Post reports Rabbi Gil Steinlauf sent an email Monday to the 1,400 households of Adas Israel Congregation, saying he could no longer deny his homosexuality.

TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Several same-sex couples, their families and friends gathered at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise on Wednesday morning, eager to be first in line for marriage licenses after a federal appellate court rejected Idaho’s ban on gay marriages.

BOISE, Idaho — Several same-sex couples, their families and friends gathered at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise Wednesday morning, eager to be first in line for marriage licenses after a federal appellate court rejected Idaho’s ban on gay marriages. But their mood turned from joyous to devastated in a heartbeat as the county clerk…