After the 9th U.S. Circuit Court struck down similar bans in Nevada and Idaho, they asked Morris to do the same in Montana, citing the appeals court ruling.

Morris issued his 18-page decision Wednesday afternoon, saying Montana had made “no persuasive argument” that the same-sex marriage ban achieves any “important government objective.”

He noted that the plaintiffs come from all walks of life and all corners of the state, and that they should have the same rights as heterosexual couples.

“No family wants to deprive its precious children of the chance to marry the loves of their lives,” he wrote. “Montana no longer can deprive plaintiffs and other same-sex couples of the chance to marry their loved ones.”

Hawthorne, retired from the Army National Guard, said she was out shopping Wednesday with her sister when she heard about the ruling.

“It’s still just disbelief,” she said, when asked about her reaction. “Any good news like this, you kind of just sit back, and you go, `Is this really true?’ And then it starts to sink in. And, of course, I will be up at the courthouse tomorrow, to support everyone who wants to get married.”

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