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The Supreme Court has set April 28 as the date for historic arguments on gay marriage.

The justices agreed in January to definitively answer whether the Constitution allows states to ban same-sex marriage. A ruling is expected by the end of the term in late June.

The argument in April will run about two and a half hours, beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The court will release audio of the arguments that afternoon.

The court granted cases from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. It will decide whether states can refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples and whether they can refuse to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed elsewhere.

Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia allow gay marriage. The Alabama Supreme Court this week defied a federal judge and ordered probate judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.

— Pete Williams and Erin McClam