What New Mexico's gay marriage ruling means for other states

The Land of Enchantment becomes the 17th state to allow gay marriage — but don't expect others to follow its lead

New Mexico
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Juan Carlos Llorca))

New Mexico's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

In a unanimous decision, the state's highest court ruled that the right for same-sex couples to wed was guaranteed under the equal protection clause of the state constitution, which says that "equality of rights under law shall not be denied on account of the sex of any person." As a result, the Land of Enchantment became the 17th state, plus the District of Columbia, to legalize same-sex marriage.

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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.