Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, federal judge Arenda Wright Allen ruled Thursday.
She cited the U.S. Constitution and said that the state’s ban on gay nuptials violates the right to due process and equal protection of the law.
The ruling follows similar cases in Oklahoma and Utah and adds Virginia to the growing number of states recognizing the right of homosexuals to wed. The federal judge issued a stay of her order while it is appealed, which means that the ruling is on hold and must ultimately be resolved before gay couples in Virginia can marry.
[Reuters]