Connecticut Supreme Court rules that gay couples have the right to marry

In a 4-3 decision released this morning, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality, stating that same-sex couples have the right to wed. Citing the equal protection clause of the state constitution, the justices ruled that civil unions were discriminatory. From the ruling:

Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same sex partner of their choice. […]To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others."

The Hartford Courant notes that "the court's ruling today will likely be the final judicial judgment in the case because it it based on the state constitution, rather then the U.S. constitution."

UpdateGov. Jodi Rell (R) pledged to uphold the ruling, though she disagreed with it: "The Supreme Court has spoken," Rell said. "I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision -- either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution -- will not meet with success. I will therefore abide by the ruling."

Connecticut Supreme Court rules that gay couples have the right to ...
Think Progress, DC