The ruling is stayed pending appeal, as most of the latest decisions are, but when even Texas bans are falling, I think it’s safe to say we’re looking at national marriage equality before Barack Obama is out of office:
A federal judge in San Antonio ruled Wednesday that Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutionally deprives some citizens of due process and equal protection under the law by stigmatizing their relationships and treating them differently from opposite-sex couples.
U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia cited recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings as having trumped Texas’ moves to ban gay marriage.
“Today’s court decision is not made in defiance of the great people of Texas or the Texas Legislature, but in compliance with the U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court precedent,” he said in his order. “Without a rational relation to a legitimate governmental purpose, state-imposed inequality can find no refuge in our U.S. Constitution.”
Who’s next? Alabama and Tennessee have cases working their way through. It’s time to go Deep South, y’all.
[h/t Joe]
