WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett will not be appealing Tuesday's ruling bringing marriage equality to the Keystone State.

Judge John E. Jones III decided Tuesday that the statutory ban violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

"I have thoroughly reviewed Judge Jones' opinion in the Whitewood case," Corbett said in a statement Wednesday. "Given the high legal threshold set forth by Judge Jones in this case, the case is extremely unlikely to succeed on appeal. Therefore, after review of the opinion and on the advice of my Commonwealth legal team, I have decided not to appeal Judge Jones' decision."

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane, a Democrat, refused to defend the ban because she viewed it as unconstitutional, leaving Corbett, a Republican, to defend the state's 1996 statute banning same-sex couples from marrying and barring the state from recognizing marriages of same-sex couples from elsewhere without support from the AG's office. He did so at the trial court, but, following Tuesday's opinion from Jones striking down the law, he has decided not to take his defense further.

The news comes more than 24 hours after Jones declared the ban unconstitutional and after a night of celebrations in the state over the ruling and the licenses for which same-sex couples can now apply.

The move not to appeal, however, highlights the speed with which the marriage equality movement has rushed ahead of the fight for basic employment protections. Pennsylvania currently is the only state in the country in which same-sex couples can marry, but could be fired for being gay with no recourse under state law.

In Corbett's statement, he noted that his personal position on the issue is unchanged.

"As a Roman Catholic, the traditional teaching of my faith has not wavered. I continue to maintain the belief that marriage is between one man and one woman, he said, adding, "My duties as Governor require that I follow the laws as interpreted by the Courts and make a judgment as to the likelihood of a successful appeal."