SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) _ Same-sex couples in Indiana are watching closely for the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in a gay-marriage case that some fear could cause legal chaos here.

The high court is expected to rule by the end of the month on whether states can limit marriage to heterosexual couples. The case from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee asks the court to uphold bans on same-sex marriage and allow the political process to handle major societal changes instead of the courts. 

The ruling could have wide-reaching impact, especially in states like Indiana that unsuccessfully fought to keep their bans on same-sex marriage.

The South Bend Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1dbF6bt ) more than 1,100 Indiana same-sex couples have obtained marriage licenses this year following court 2014 court rulings that struck down the state's gay-marriage ban.