On 12 October 2017, the Constitutional Court agreed to consider one of the cases challenging the law barring same-sex marriage. On 4 December 2017, the Constitutional Court struck down the ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. Same-sex marriage became legal on 1 January 2019, though the Parliament had the option to change the law sooner. The ruling also allowed the couples involved in the challenge to marry immediately. On 6 December, the SPÖ, which introduced a bill to legalise same-sex marriage on 9 November 2017, said it would continue to push for its approval, in the hope of allowing same-sex couples to marry sooner than 1 January 2019. On 13 December 2017, another same-sex marriage bill was introduced by NEOS Deputy Nikolaus Scherak. On 31 January 2018, SPÖ deputies withdrew their aforementioned bill and introduced a new one. No further action was taken on any of the legislation prior to the date of the ruling's effect, as the conservative First Kurz Government opposed same-sex marriage.