US: Kansas ordered to stop enforcing gay marriage ban

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The US state of Kansas has been ordered by a federal judge to stop enforcing a ban on gay and lesbian couples marrying.

US District Judge Daniel Crabtree ruled today that the states’s ban violates the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.

The ruling will take effect on 11 November, in one week, unless the state decides to appeal against it.

In ruling, Judge Crabtree noted an earlier ruling by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which “protects the fundamental right to marry, establish a family, raise children, and enjoy the full protections of a state’s marital laws.”

The case against Kansas was brought by the ACLU in Kanas on behalf of same-sex couples who had been denied marriage licences across two counties.