Federal Judge Strikes Down Virginia’s Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

A federal judge struck down Virginia’s ban on homosexual marriage late Thursday as being unconstitutional. A federal judge in Kentucky also ruled in favor of gay rights this week, ruling that same-sex marriages performed in states or countries where legal must be recognized in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Christian News reports.

U.S. District Court Judge Arenda Wright Allen in Norfolk, Virginia cited in her 41-page opinion that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage violated the right to due process and equal protection afforded under the U.S. Constitution. In her opinion, Allen wrote that “[t]he Court is compelled to conclude that Virginia’s Marriage Laws unconstitutionally deny Virginia’s gay and lesbian citizens the fundamental freedom to choose to marry.”

Allen stayed the execution of her order pending appeal. Her ruling follows similar decisions in Utah and Oklahoma federal courts.

Meanwhile, a Kentucky judge on Wednesday ruled that the state must recognized same-sex marriages performed in other states, but did not rule on the constitutionality of such “marriages” conducted inside the state.

Publication Date: February 14, 2014.