CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s first same-sex weddings can take place this weekend after the nation’s highest court decided to rule next week on the law allowing gay marriage in the national capital.

The Australian Capital Territory government, which administers Canberra, passed legislation in October that allows same-sex couples to wed in ceremonies equivalent to those heterosexual couples are entitled to under federal law.

The federal government immediately applied to the High Court to quash the law. The court’s six judges heard the case last week and announced that they would deliver their ruling on Thursday.