Ark. judge strikes down ban on same-sex marriage

Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.

A judge on Friday struck down Arkansas’ ban on same-sex marriage, saying the state has “no rational reason” for preventing gay couples from marrying.

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza ruled that the 2004 voter-approved amendment to the state constitution violates the rights of same-sex couples.

“This is an unconstitutional attempt to narrow the definition of equality,” Piazza wrote. “The exclusion of a minority for no rational reason is a dangerous precedent.”

The ruling came nearly a week after state Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced he personally supports gay-marriage rights but that he will continue to defend the constitutional ban in court. McDaniel’s office said he would appeal the ruling.

Piazza issued his ruling late Friday, about half an hour after the marriage-license office in Pulaski County closed. An attorney for the group of same-sex couples challenging the prohibition said he hadn’t talked with his clients and didn’t know if they would seek a marriage license when county offices open Monday morning.