Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania just so happens to be the only state in the Northeast that does not allow gay marriage. The the case is now moving to trial, and if passed, the state could finally close the gap in the Northeast, according to the Associated Press and ABC.

The case, known as Whitewood v. White, will be heard by U.S. District Judge John Jones on June 9 in Harrisburg.

Though state officials have asked Jones to delay or even toss out the case, he has stayed on target with the June court date. “I’m an optimist by nature,” he said in the report.

“The jurisprudence of equal protection and substantive due process has undergone what can only be characterized as a sea change since 1972,” said Jones.

If passed, Pennsylvania will become the 17th state to allow gay marriage, after the recent addition of Hawaii and Illinois.