Idaho’s ban on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, a judge ruled Tuesday.
In the decision, U.S. District Magistrate Judge Candy Dale stated that the law stigmatized homosexual couples and denied gay and lesbian couples a fundamental right, the Associated Press reports.
The ruling was made in response to a challenge to the ban made by four same-sex couples in a lawsuit late last year.
The governor of Idaho, C.L. “Butch” Otter, said that he would appeal the case all the way to the Supreme Court.
“In 2006, the people of Idaho exercised their fundamental right, reaffirming that marriage is the union of a man and a woman,” he stated, according to AP.
“Today’s decision, while disappointing, is a small setback in a long-term battle that will end at the U.S. Supreme Court. I am firmly committed to upholding the will of the people and defending our Constitution.”
The ruling is the latest in a number of cases across the U.S., in which state constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriages have been ruled unconstitutional. Judges have recently struck down bans on same-sex marriages in Arkansas, Virginia, Oklahoma, Michigan, Texas and Utah.
[AP]
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