Colorado judge strikes down state's same-sex marriage ban

A Colorado judge on Wednesday struck down the state's same-sex marriage ban, but the decision will not take effect until it works through the appeals process.

Crabtree singled out civil unions in particular as evidence of discrimination against same-sex couples

The decision, issued by Colorado District Court Judge C. Scott Crabtree, cited the Constitution's equal protection and due process clauses to justify same-sex marriage rights. Other same-sex marriage cases used similar rationale.

Crabtree singled out Colorado's civil unions in particular as evidence of discrimination against same-sex couples, because Colorado's civil union law stops short of giving same-sex couples full marriage rights.

But Colorado couples will not be able to get married just yet, since the decision is on hold pending appeal.

This is just the latest in a chain of victories for LGBT advocates after the US Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on same-sex marriages. Most recently, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and judges in Indiana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Oregon ruled in favor of same-sex marriage rights.

Utah officials on Wednesday announced they will appeal the same-sex marriage case that's most advanced in the US court system. If the US Supreme Court accepts the appeal, the nation's highest court could decide the issue of same-sex marriage on a national level in 2015.

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