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A U.S. District judge has ruled that Oklahoma’s ban on marriage equality is unconstitutional.Judge Terence Kern made the ruling on Tuesday. The ruling was immediately put on hold, pending appeals.Read the judge's ruling. Mobile users, click here: http://on.koco.com/1m5MxyYIn the ruling, the judge remarked "...the majority view in Oklahoma must give way to individual constitutional rights."The judge also said equal protection is at the heart of our legal system.Watch Naveen Dhaliwal's report on the reaction to the ruling"The Bishop couple has been in a loving, committed relationship for many years," the judge wrote. "They own property together, wish to retire together, wish to make medical decisions for one another, and wish to be recognized as a married couple with all its attendant rights and responsibilities."The judge is referring to plaintiffs Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin. Susan Barton and Gay Phillips were co-plaintiffs on the case."The court declares that Part A of the Oklahoma Constitutional Amendment violates the Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by precluding same-sex couples from receiving an Oklahoma marriage license," Judge Kern wrote.Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said the ruling helps clear the path for full and equal citizen ship for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans."Equality is not just for the coasts anymore," Griffin said in a statement. "Today's news from Oklahoma shows that time has come for fairness and dignity to reach every American in all 50 states.Gov. Mary Fallin reacted to the ruling, which would strike down an amendment passed by 75 percent of Oklahomans, if the ruling is upheld."The people of Oklahoma have spoken on this issue. I support the right of Oklahoma's voters to govern themselves on this and other policy matters. I am disappointed in the judge's ruling and troubled that the will of the people has once again been ignored by the federal government," Fallin said in the statement.Attorney General E. Scott Pruitt agreed with the governor's sentiments."It is a troubling decision,” Attorney General Scott Pruitt said. “As the Supreme Court recently noted in the Windsor case, it is up to the states to decide how to define marriage, not the federal government. There is a case involving the State of Utah currently pending before the 10th Circuit that is identical to the case in Tulsa. The issue most likely will end up at the U.S. Supreme Court and the outcome will dictate whether Oklahoma’s constitutional provision will be upheld," Pruitt said in a statement.Rep. James Lankford issued the following statement after today's ruling:"This is why the American people are so frustrated with government and government officials; the people speak clearly but elected officials and judges ignore them. In 2004, Oklahomans overwhelmingly decided marriage is a unique institution between a man and a woman. Since the Constitution leaves marriage laws to the states, the State of Oklahoma has the right to define marriage in a way consistent with the values of our state.”The Cimarron Alliance Equality Center declared today a monumental day in Oklahoma history.“We are absolutely confident that this will stand up on appeal. It will move Oklahoma forward along with the rest of the country,” Executive director Scott Hamilton said in a release. “Sometimes change is slow to come. But when change as wonderful as this takes place, it is worth the wait."Statements continued from across organizations dedicated to marriage equality."The momentum for the freedom to marry appears to be truly unstoppable now, with the recent decisions in Oklahoma and Utah -- the freedom to marry is clearly not a red state or blue state value, it is an American value," said John Lewis, Legal Director, Marriage Equality USA."The plaintiffs filed their case in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma in November 2004.