Appeals court rules Virginia's gay marriage ban is unconstitutional

Appeals court rules Virginia's gay marriage ban is unconstitutional
(Image credit: Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a lower court's ruling striking down Virginia's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. In a 2-1 ruling, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals said that though it understood some people were "deeply uncomfortable" about the notion of gay marriage, "inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws."

A federal judge in February ruled against Virginia's ban, but the decision was put on hold pending appeal.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.