Breaking: Virginia Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Ruled Unconstitutional (Full Decision)
A federal judge has just ruled Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. U.S. District Court Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen, like many before her, ruled that the ban violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Judge Allen stayed her decision pending appeal. The case, Bostic v. Rainey, was argued by Ted Olson and David Boies, the same legal team who brought Prop 8 before the Supreme Court...
Thursday night’s ruling states any “Virginia law that bars same-sex marriage or prohibits Virginia’s recognition of lawful same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions” is unconstitutional. “These laws deny Plaintiffs their rights to due process and equal protection guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
“The Court is compelled to conclude that Virginia’s Marriage Laws unconstitutionally deny Virginia’s gay and lesbian citizens the fundamental freedom to choose to marry,” Judge Allen wrote. “Government interests in perpetuating traditions, shielding state matters from federal interference, and favoring one model of parenting over others must yield to this country’s cherished protections that ensure the exercise of the private choices of the individual citizen regarding love and family.”
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/breaking-virginia-ban-on-same-sex-marriage-ruled-unconstitutional-full-decision/politics/2014/02/13/83197#.Uv2Yn3mKnLQ
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Bill~
“The Court is compelled to conclude that Virginia’s Marriage Laws unconstitutionally deny Virginia’s gay and lesbian citizens the fundamental freedom to choose to marry,” Judge Allen wrote. “Government interests in perpetuating traditions, shielding state matters from federal interference, and favoring one model of parenting over others must yield to this country’s cherished protections that ensure the exercise of the private choices of the individual citizen regarding love and family.”
Elections Matter~
"Newly-elected Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring, who recently refused to defend the state’s ban, hastened the judge’s decision."
My favorite President! 
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"McLEAN, Va. (AP) — The judge deciding what could become a landmark gay marriage case in Virginia defies easy characterization: She was a prosecutor, but also a public defender. She was appointed by President Barack Obama, and she also served in the military as a Navy lawyer.
U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen, who has been on the bench for less than three years, is overseeing the highest-profile case of her short judicial career. If she throws out Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage, the state would be the first in the South to allow gay marriage, though attorneys on both sides say her ruling will be appealed.
Liberals who want the state's ban overturned may be encouraged by her service as a public defender and the fact that she is an Obama appointee, while conservatives may be heartened by her experience as a no-nonsense federal prosecutor."
More to the story..
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/judge-gay-marriage-case-difficult-pigeonhole