The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Thursday that denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples violates the constitution, making it the 17th state to allow gay marriage.
The court ruled that “all rights, protections, and responsibilities that result from the marital relationship shall apply equally to both same-gender and opposite-gender married couples” the Albuquerque Journal reports. New Mexico now joins 16 states and Washington, D.C. in allowing same-sex marriage.
The case was brought to the state Supreme Court after eight counties started granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The ruling means that all counties will have to recognize same-sex marriages.