By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed gay marriage to go into effect in Kansas by rejecting a last-minute request filed by state officials.
In a brief order, the court said it would not block a district court judge's ruling last week that struck down the state's gay marriage ban. The decision means marriage licenses can be issued to same-sex couples imminently.
Kansas will become the 33rd state with gay marriage.
Two of the court's nine justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, said they would have granted the state's request.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)