(Bloomberg) — The U.S. Supreme Court rejected calls for a nationwide ruling on same-sex marriage, a rebuff that lets gays marry in as many as 11 new states and leaves legal uncertainty elsewhere.

The denial today of seven pending appeals defied predictions. Advocates on both sides had urged the justices to resolve the issue following a wave of lower court rulings that the U.S. Constitution guarantees same-sex marriage rights.

"What is the Supreme Court waiting for?" said Evan Wolfson, president and founder of New York-based Freedom to Marry, one of the groups that urged the court to intervene and legalize same-sex marriage across the country.

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