By Michael Zennie and Reuters Federal judges have struck down gay marriage bans in Indiana and Utah today in a pair of ruling that granted massive victories for same-sex couples and could force same-sex unions on four other states that currently ban them. In Indiana, a judge threw out the state's prohibition on gay marriages and ordered county clerks to immediately begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The ruling against Utah, one of the most conservative states in the nation, was more sweeping, though less immediate. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, in ruling against Utah's gay marriage ban, said categorically that states cannot ban same sex unions because they are protected under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees equal protection under the law.
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Federal judge strikes down Indiana gay marriage ban and orders county clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples
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The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld a lower court ruling overturning Utah's gay marriage ban
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The sweeping ruling says the 14th Amendment prohibits states from banning gay marriage in much of the west - Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming
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That ruling was stayed pending appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and will not take effect
Utah briefly became the 18th @placeholder state where marriage rights were extended to same-sex couples when a federal district judge ruled in December 2013 that a state ban on gay matrimony was unconstitutional.