Utah Gay Marriage Ban Struck Down by Federal Appeals Court

DENVER - A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday for the first time that a state cannot prevent gay men and lesbians from marrying.

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A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit found that Utah's ban on same-sex marriage violated the United States Constitution. The judges upheld a lower-court ruling that struck down the ban in December.

The judges immediately put their ruling on hold so it could be appealed.

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

The judges' ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

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

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