A federal appeals court will decide Tuesday whether to review a three-judge panel’s ruling that overturned Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals announced Monday it would release its decision on whether to reconsider the February ruling against the 2008 ban. If the court agrees to review the ruling, a larger panel of 11 judges would be assembled. A new ruling could take several months to more than a year.

The three-judge panel that heard the case ruled 2 to 1 against the voter-approved marriage ban, concluding it was unconstitutional and served no purpose other than to “lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians.” The ruling was narrowly written and limited to California.

The sponsors of Proposition 8 appealed, asking a larger panel of the court to review the case. If the 9th Circuit declines to reconsider, the case is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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-- Maura Dolan in San Francisco

Photo: Opponents of Proposition 8 demonstrate outside the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday in San Francisco. Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images