A state judge, appointed by a Republican governor, has just found Colorado’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.Â
Judge C. Scott Crabtree has just ruled Colorado’s same-sex marriage ban, approved by voters in 2006, is unconstitutional. Judge Crabtree immediately stayed his ruling, as many other judges have done, so no marriages will be performed for now.
The ruling was expected, given the more than one dozen favorable rulings from state and federal judges since the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of DOMA a year ago in June. Crabtree is the 16th judge to rule a marriage ban unconstitutional over the past 12 months.
In June of this year, when the state of Colorado argued its case, Crabtree scoffed at the state’s arguments, and, pointing to the plethora of other rulings in favor of marriage equality, asked, “They all got it wrong? What am I supposed to do then when presented with this? Just punt?”
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Here’s the last paragraph of the district judge’s decision, striking down #Colorado‘s gay marriage ban – with a stay. pic.twitter.com/qdQbygvEua
— Jackie Fortier (@JackieFortier) July 9, 2014
Judge Crabtree was appointed to the bench by Republican Governor Bill Owens, in 2001.
Image by Nicolas Raymond via Flickr