BOSTON (Reuters) - The Connecticut Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriage on Friday in a victory for gay-rights advocates that will allow couples to marry in the New England state.
The court found that the state's law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation.
Connecticut is now the third state in the country to allow gay marriage, following neighbouring Massachusetts, the first state to allow it, and California.
Connecticut already permitted same-sex civil unions that grant largely the same state rights as to married couples, but lack the full, federal legal protections of marriage.
Four years ago, eight same-sex couples sued the state, arguing that their constitutional rights were being denied when they were not able to get marriage licenses.
In the 4-3 opinion, the court wrote "the state has failed to provide sufficient justification for excluding same sex couples from the institution of marriage."
Karl Zinsmeister, President George W. Bush's assistant for domestic policy, issued a statement criticizing the decision late on Friday.
"President Bush has always believed that marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman.
"It's unfortunate that activist judges continue to seek to redefine marriage by court order without regard for the will of the people. Today's decision by the Connecticut Supreme Court illustrates that a federal constitutional amendment may be needed if the people are to decide what marriage means."
(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Eric Walsh)
