U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale has ruled Idaho's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. In her 57-page decision, Dale stated, "Idaho’s Marriage Laws withhold from them a profound and personal choice, one that most can take for granted. By doing so, Idaho’s Marriage Laws deny same-sex couples the economic, practical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of marriage, relegating each couple to a stigmatized, second-class status. Plaintiffs suffer these injuries not because they are unqualified to marry, start a family, or grow old together, but because of who they are and whom they love."
Idaho's Republican governor—whose real name is really Butch Otter (really!)—promises to fight this decision all the way to the Supreme Court.
Same-sex couples can begin getting marriage licenses in Idaho on May 16.
