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A federal appeals court panel in Richmond on Monday upheld a ruling from a lower court that struck down Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage.

In a 2-1 decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges agreed with U.S. Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen’s ruling in February that the 2006 amendment to the Virginia Constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman violates the equal protection clause and due process clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The decision goes into effect in 21 days, unless the defendants file a motion to appeal — which they are likely to do. The case will then head to the U.S. Supreme Court for review.

“Civil marriage is one of the cornerstones of our way of life. It allows individuals to celebrate and publicly declare their intentions to form lifelong partnerships, which provide unparalleled intimacy, companionship, emotional support and security,” Judge Henry F. Floyd wrote in his majority opinion.

“The choice of whether and whom to marry is an intensely personal decision that alters the course of an individual’s life. Denying same-sex couples this choice prohibits them from participating fully in our society, which is precisely the type of segregation that the 14th Amendment cannot countenance,” he wrote.