Judge rules Alaska’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional

JUNEAU, Alaska, - A U.S. federal judge on Sunday ruled that Alaska’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.
Judge Timothy Burgess of the U.S. District Court for Alaska made the ruling after hearing oral arguments on Friday challenging the state’s 16-year-old ban, saying it added to discrimination already faced by gay and lesbian people every day.
“Alaska’s denial of the benefits and dignity of marriage for them only perpetuates this discrimination without legitimate grounds,” Burgess wrote.
He also barred Alaska from refusing to acknowledge lawful same-sex marriages conducted in other states.
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell said Sunday that the state would appeal the ruling.
Five couples filed their suit against the state in May challenging the ban.
In 1998, Alaska voters enacted a constitutional amendment that excludes same-sex couples from marriage.
The state contended that the voters should have the final word, not the courts.
Burgess disagreed, writing that the state’s right to define marriage “is not unbounded.”