Arkansas gay marriage ban overturned

A federal judge on Tuesday struck down Arkansas’ gay marriage ban, ruling it unconstitutional.

However, the order was put on hold so the state can consider an appeal, The Associated Press reported.

{mosads}U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker ruled against a law defining marriage as between a man and a woman, ruling in favor of two same-sex couples that challenged the amendment.

“The fact that Amendment 83 was adopted by referendum does not immunize it from federal constitutional scrutiny,” Baker wrote in her decision, adding that the law violated the U.S. Constitution by “precluding same-sex couples from exercising their fundamental right to marry in Arkansas, by not recognizing valid same-sex marriages from other states, and by discriminating on the basis of gender,” she wrote.