Texas is one of the most conservative states in the US and has banned
gay unions in its constitution since 2005 and by statute since 1997
Judge Orlando Garcia ruled in favour of two gay couples who
challenged the ban, but will allow the state to continue enforcing it
pending an appeal.
In his ruling, Judge Garcia of the federal Western District of Texas wrote that by denying same-sex couples the right to marry, the state "[demeans] their dignity for no legitimate reason".
"Without a rational relation to a legitimate governmental purpose, state-imposed inequality can find no refuge in our United States Constitution."
On Wednesday Feb 26,2014, Mark Phariss and Victor Holmes,one of the couples who challenged the Texas ban said in a statement: "Having been together almost 17 years, we look forward to the day when we can get married and when all gay Texans enjoy equal rights to marry as well."
The second Couple,Cleopatra De Leon and Nicole Dimetman, married in Massachusetts and sued to force Texas to recognise their marriage.
Note
Similar court decisions in Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia have handed victories to gay-rights activists by declaring those bans unconstitutional
The rulings come after the US Supreme Court ruled in 2013 the federal government must recognise gay unions ratified in states where they are already legal
.
A US judge has ruled
Texas' ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, the latest in a
series of decisions overturning such state laws.
In his ruling, Judge Garcia of the federal Western District of Texas wrote that by denying same-sex couples the right to marry, the state "[demeans] their dignity for no legitimate reason".
"Without a rational relation to a legitimate governmental purpose, state-imposed inequality can find no refuge in our United States Constitution."
On Wednesday Feb 26,2014, Mark Phariss and Victor Holmes,one of the couples who challenged the Texas ban said in a statement: "Having been together almost 17 years, we look forward to the day when we can get married and when all gay Texans enjoy equal rights to marry as well."
The second Couple,Cleopatra De Leon and Nicole Dimetman, married in Massachusetts and sued to force Texas to recognise their marriage.
Note
Similar court decisions in Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia have handed victories to gay-rights activists by declaring those bans unconstitutional
The rulings come after the US Supreme Court ruled in 2013 the federal government must recognise gay unions ratified in states where they are already legal
.
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