A group of Republicans is filing friend-of-the-court briefs in appeals battles over state bans on same-sex marriage and has already done so in Utah and Oklahoma after courts struck down their state bans.

The group of gay friendly Republicans are being lead by former Senator Alan K Simpson of Wyoming and former Senator Nancy L Kassebaum of Kansas.

The brief signed by the group of approximately 20 prominent Republican supporters of same-sex marriage states that allowing same-sex couples to marry will strengthen marriage as an institution in the United Stares and promote ‘the social stability of the family unit.’

This is not the first time Senator Simpson has signed on to such a brief – he also signed a similar friend-of-the-court brief in support of the Supreme Court of the United States striking down the Defense of Marriage Act.

If appeals courts uphold court rulings in Utah and Oklahoma same-sex marriage could potentially be legalized throughout all the states in the 10th Judicial Circuit of the United States courts of appeals which are Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming.

That ruling could still be appealed to the United States Supreme Court and it is unknown how they would rule on the matter.

New Mexico became the first state in the !0th Judicial Circuit to legalize same-sex marriage in December after its Republican Governor chose not to appeal a New Mexican Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.

The most recent friend-of-the-court brief was revealed by the New York Times, which in polling it commissioned with CBS News, found growing support for same-sex marriage among Republicans in 2014 with 40% now thinking it should be legal – up from 24% in 2012.