Story highlights A district judge rules Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional

The case came from a same-sex couple seeking to legally co-parent

The state has filed a motion to put the decision on hold

(CNN) States struggling to define the question of marriage equality have an addition to their ranks: Alabama.

A U.S. district judge struck down Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage Friday after two Mobile women sued the state for failing to recognize the couple's union.

Cari Searcy and Kimberly McKeand were married legally in California and have been together for 15 years. But the issue of their rights as a couple came about after Searcy's petition to adopt McKeand's 9-year-old son was denied.

Alabama's adoption code gives a person a right to adopt a spouse's child. But because Alabama doesn't recognize their marriage, Searcy could not qualify for adoption.

The couple's lawyer, David Kennedy, said McKeand and Searcy were "very pleased with the court's ruling."

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