Idaho, Nevada latest to lose marriage law appeals

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The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down traditional marriage laws in Idaho and Nevada today, bringing the number of states where same-sex marriage is legal to 32.

A three-judge panel ruled the states’ laws upholding traditional marriage violated the gay plaintiffs’ constitutional right to equal protection.

The ruling comes a day after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear appeals from five states where judges had overturned marriage laws, effectively giving gay marriage a green light anywhere a federal appeals court decides it’s constitutional.

So far, every appeals court that has heard a case against traditional marriage laws has ruled them illegal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Leigh Jones

Leigh is features editor for WORLD. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate who spent six years as a newspaper reporter in Texas before joining WORLD News Group. Leigh also co-wrote Infinite Monster: Courage, Hope, and Resurrection in the Face of One of America's Largest Hurricanes. She resides with her husband and daughter in Houston, Texas.