Utah Cannot Ban Same-Sex Marriage, Court Rules

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday that Utah cannot ban same-sex marriages.

"We hold that the Fourteenth Amendment protects the fundamental right to marry, establish a family, raise children, and enjoy the full protection of a state's marital laws," the ruling said.

The court ruled 2-1, with Judge Paul J. Kelly, Jr. dissenting.

A stay is in place, so same-sex couples are still prevented from marrying in Utah.

Below, more from the AP:

DENVER (AP) — A federal appeals court for the first time says a state cannot prevent gay people from getting married.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver found that Utah's ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution. The judges upheld a lower court ruling that struck down the ban in December.

They immediately put their ruling on holding so it could be appealed.

The case has been closely watched because it represents the first ruling on gay marriage at the appellate level since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in June 2013.

The ruling likely will be appealed to the Supreme Court.

The panel has not yet ruled on a similar ban in Oklahoma.

Read the ruling below:

Utah Gay Marriage by molliereilly