Appeals court nixes gay marriage bans in Wisconsin and Indiana

A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that same-sex marriage bans in Wisconsin and Indiana were unconstitutional.

"The discrimination against same-sex couples is irrational, and therefore unconstitutional even if the discrimination is not subjected to heightened scrutiny," Judge Richard Posner wrote for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The ruling comes one day after a federal judge upheld Louisiana's ban on gay marriage, saying same-sex marriage was not a "fundamental right." Yet that opinion was to date the lone exception on the issue. Since the Supreme Court last year issued its landmark rulings on same-sex marriage, every other federal court has sided with gay marriage advocates.

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