Federal Judge Rules Alaska's Same-Sex Marriage Ban unconstitutional

A federal judge has ruled Alaska's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional.

Judge Timothy Burgess wrote in a summary judgment that Alaska's "refusal to recognize same-sex marriages lawfully entered in other states is unconstitutional as a deprivation of basic due process and equal protection principles under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."

Last week, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned similar bans in Idaho and Nevada. Alaska, along with Arizona and Montana, fall under the Ninth Circuit's purview.

Alaska Dispatch News adds officials with the state's Bureau of Vital Statistics will begin accepting applications for same-sex marriage licenses at 8 AM (12 ET) today.

Gov. Sean Parnell has already issued a statement saying he will appeal:

"As Alaska’s governor, I have a duty to defend and uphold the law and the Alaska Constitution. Although the district court today may have been bound by the recent Ninth Circuit panel opinion, the status of that opinion and the law in general in this area is in flux. I will defend our constitution."