Yahoo! News - Washington's Gay-Marriage Ban Struck Down
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Saying the state constitution broadly guarantees equality, a judge struck down Washington's ban on same-sex marriage and set the stage for an appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Richard Hicks said the guarantees of equality are violated by the state's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman and bars same-sex civil marriage.

He acknowledged the Legislature's intent was clear when it banned same-sex marriage. But Washington's constitution, which offers broader protection of individual liberties than the federal Constitution, always trumps statute law, he said.

The state "must take care to treat all its citizens in an equal way," he said.

Another activist judge strikes again!