Same-sex marriage came to Kansas on Wednesday after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to further delay the unions.

The court lifted a stay preventing the marriages late Wednesday afternoon, allowing clerks to begin issuing licenses immediately. The court’s decision came in a one-page order. Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Clarence Thomas dissented. No explanation of the ruling was given.

With the order, Kansas became the 33rd state with same-sex marriage. It was unclear whether any clerks in the state would resist, or if all would immediately begin issuing licenses.

Same-sex couples in Shawnee County had to wait a little longer to obtain a marriage license, however, because the district court clerk’s office closed at 4 p.m., before the ruling came down. The clerk’s office opens at 8 a.m. Thursday.

Wade Honey, a Topeka man who last month was denied a marriage license with his partner, Dan Barnes, said he planned to get a license soon.

"It is a relief and, you know, it is very satisfying," Honey said. "I think it’s going to make a big difference in people’s lives."

News of the ruling was still fresh when a reporter reached Honey on Wednesday afternoon, and he hadn’t yet had a chance to speak with Barnes. But he said he expected it would be a big topic of discussion. The couple has been together nearly six years, and as their relationship progressed they contemplated marrying in another state. But for them, their decision to wait has now paid off.

"It’s really important to us that we can do it now because we have our church here and our friends," Honey said.

The Supreme Court’s decision ends what had been a near-daily legal battle over whether officials in Kansas would be able to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses.

Same-sex marriage licenses were supposed to have been issued beginning late Tuesday, under a preliminary injunction by U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Crabtree. However, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, appealed Crabtree’s decision. Justice Sonia Sotomayor stopped the injunction from going into effect while the court weighed how to rule.

The fight over Schmidt’s request was separate from a continuing legal battle over whether Kansas’ prohibition on same-sex marriage is constitutional. Crabtree ruled the state’s ban isn’t constitutional in response to a lawsuit from two Kansas same-sex couples who had been denied licenses. But Schmidt has appealed, sending the lawsuit to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

In a statement, Schmidt acknowledged that defendant district court clerks were now prohibited from enforcing the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage but hinted the fight wasn’t over.

"Although the preliminary injunction is in place, it remains under appeal in the 10th Circuit. The underlying case on the merits also remains pending," Schmidt said.

Gov. Sam Brownback, a staunch opponent of gay marriage, said following the ruling he took an oath to uphold the state constitution, according to The Associated Press. He said he would review the ruling and consult with Schmidt on how to best continue defending the state constitution. Voters approved the state’s ban in 2005 with 70 percent approval.

Doug Bonney, an attorney for the ACLU, which represented the couples, called the Supreme Court’s decision a victory for the couples and for all same-sex individuals who wish to marry in Kansas.

"Now, they are equal citizens with everybody else, and they can exercise their rights to get married," Bonney said.

Bonney said he expects all district court clerks will begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples Thursday. That hasn’t been the case in neighboring Missouri, where officials in some parts of the state began issuing licenses following a court ruling while others have resisted.

The stakes in the Kansas case were raised last week, when the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld marriage bans in several states. The ruling was the first time the federal circuit courts have disagreed on the constitutionality of state marriage bans.

The split increases the likelihood the Supreme Court will agree to hear a marriage-related case. The court declined to hear several challenges to state marriage bans earlier this year. The Kansas lawsuit was the first marriage-related case to reach the court since the circuit split last week.

Bonney said it was unlikely the court would choose the Kansas lawsuit for a full review. But he said the court’s decision to lift the stay — with only two justices dissenting — indicated the court would likely uphold same-sex marriage, in his view.

Terry Fox, a conservative Wichita pastor and leading opponent of same-sex marriage in Kansas, said last month that he believed supporters of traditional marriage still had a "fighting chance" before the Supreme Court.

"I personally feel that this is not only a moral issue, but that an even a bigger issue at hand is the fact that state’s rights are being overridden by a handful of judges rather than letting the people of Kansas speak," Fox said at the time.

Although same-sex marriage has now come to Kansas, LGBT individuals still seek protections from discrimination in housing and employment. Currently, Kansas doesn’t protect against housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Stephanie Mott, a Topeka transgender woman and equality advocate, said she "got teary-eyed" after learning of the court ruling Wednesday, but emphasized that other rights beside marriage remain lacking.

"You can get married and then you can get fired for getting married," Mott said.

On Wednesday, the Human Rights Campaign, a leading nationwide gay rights group, released a report ranking Kansas cities according to inclusiveness and protections afforded to LGBT individuals. Six cities were ranked: Kansas City, Lawrence, Olathe, Overland Park, Wichita and Topeka.

Lawrence scored first at 72 on a 100-point scale. Topeka was second with 43. The report measured non-discrimination laws, protections for municipal employees and relationships with the LGBT community, among other criteria.

The average score among cities in Kansas was 39. The average score among cities nationally was 59.