Two weeks after a federal appeals court overturned the state's ban on gay marriage, Utah's attorney general announced Wednesday that the state will appeal the decision directly to the Supreme Court.

From the Associated Press:

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes' office said in a statement the appeal will be filed in the coming weeks. "Attorney General Reyes has a sworn duty to defend the laws of our state," the statement said.

The Supreme Court is under no obligation to hear the appeal, and there is no deadline to make a decision, said William Eskridge, a law professor at Yale University. The three-judge 10th Circuit panel put its June 25 ruling on hold pending an appeal.

[Image via AP]