Bloglander

The nine Supreme Court justices are hearing arguments today about a set of same-sex marriage cases, and we’ll all keep hearing about it for the next few months as we wait for the court’s opinion. (Initial reports are that the justices seemed uncomfortable about making a broad, momentous decision.)

In the meantime, here are a few excellent graphics and interactives that answer some of the big questions about same-sex marriage laws and gay rights.

1. What exactly is the Supreme Court trying to decide? What are the possible outcomes? This New York Times chart breaks down the court’s options and which states could be affected. They’ve also got a roster of the main people involved with the cases being heard by the Supreme Court.

2. How have states’ laws on same-sex marriage changed over time? This time-sequence map from The Los Angeles Times shows how laws have changed since 2000 through state constitutions, legislation and the courts.

3. How do states compare on different measures of gay rights? The Guardian published this rich interactive — which breaks down categories like marriage, adoption, employment and employment rights — before President Obama endorsed same-sex marriage last year.

4. How do Americans feel about same-sex marriage? How are opinions changing? This series of charts based on Pew Research Center poll data shows how opinions differ by age, political party, religious affiliation and other factors.

5. How did Spokane vote last November when Washington state approved same-sex marriage? We made this precinct-by-precinct map showing which areas of the city were most and least in favor.