Judge Overturns Alaska Gay-Marriage Ban

A federal judge struck down Alaska’s ban on same-sex marriages, ruling it unconstitutional, in an action that paves the way for gay couples to start marrying in the state. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess wrote in an order released Sunday, in the case of Hamby v. Parnell, that the ban is a “deprivation of basic due process and equal protection” under the 14th Amendment. The suit was filed in May by five same-sex couples. Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell says the state will apeal the ruling, but chances of prevailing don’t look that good: Burgess’s ruling comes less than a week after a federal appeals court overturned similar marriage bans in Idaho and Nevada.