(Image source: Wikimedia Commons )     BY ZACH TOOMBS     “Emboldened” seems to be the best way to describe activists nearing the end of a very successful November for gay rights.   Nov. 6 saw a string of victories for gay advocates. Three states, Maine, Maryland and Washington, passed referendums legalizing gay marriage.   While, in Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay U.S. senator. With that in mind, advocates are setting their sights on new battlegrounds.   Politico reports gay rights advocates have identified seven states where they’ll make a push for legalizing gay marriage through ballot measures, court decisions or through legislation as early as 2014.   That list includes: Oregon, Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, Colorado, Hawaii and New Jersey.   But the issue could soon bypass the state level – and land in the lap of the U.S. Supreme Court . The nation’s highest judicial body will decide this week weather to hear arguments for and against gay marriage legalization at the national level.   Among the cases that might prompt a landmark decision on gay marriage are:   - five different challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act - Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s proposal to block domestic partnership benefits - a challenge to California’s Proposition 8 result outlawing gay marriage   It’s important to note: if those cases are considered, the Court’s choice will likely be between upholding the Defense of Marriage Act — which would mean no nationwide legalization of gay marriage - or overturning it. But the Los Angeles Times notes the Supreme Court walks a fine line on finding the right timing for sweeping national change.   At times, the Court has been criticized for waiting far too long to rule on an issue — such as when it struck down state laws against interracial marriage in 1967 , 13 years after the justices called racial discrimination unconstitutional.   But the Court has also acted quickly enough to spark national outrage. The LA Times reports that, in 1973, when the justices ensured legal abortions in all states, even supporters of Roe v. Wade worried the court had “gone too far, too fast.” Opposition to that ruling remains strong today.   One other variable to consider: the justices themselves. As he is in many rulings, Anthony Kennedy could very well be the swing vote on the court. And The New York Times points out he has a progressive streak when it comes to gay issues.   “...he wrote the majority opinions in Lawrence v. Texas, a 2003 decision that struck down a Texas law making gay sex a crime, and in Romer v. Evans...”   That 1996 decision struck down a Colorado amendment that had banned laws protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination.   Supreme Court justices claim not to be swayed by public opinion, though there has been a huge shift in how Americans view gay marriage. According to Gallup , in 1996, only 27 percent supported gay marriage. By May 2011, that support had risen to 53 percent of the public.