On 26 July 2011, the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled 9–0 (in case C-577/2011) that, while it could not change the definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, nevertheless same-sex couples have the right to form a family. The Court ordered the Colombian Congress to pass legislation addressing this issue (whether by legalizing same-sex marriage or another marriage-like union) within two years (by 20 June 2013). If such a law were not passed by that deadline, the Court said, same-sex couples would automatically become able to register their relationship before a notary. In 2011, after the Constitutional Court ruling, four bills were announced in Congress to recognize same-sex couples: two used the word "marriage", and the other two would have created civil unions.