U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb Friday overturned Wisconsin’s gay marriage ban.
The measure was overwhelmingly passed through a state constitutional amendment in 2006.
The Wisconsin case comes amid a broad shift in public opinion about same-sex marriage.
Nationwide, same-sex couples have the right to marry in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Judges in seven of the remaining 31 states have issued rulings striking down same-sex marriage bans, with those rulings stayed as they work their way through appellate courts.
In Wisconsin, voters in 2006 resoundingly approved the same-sex marriage amendment, 59% to 41%. Every county in the state except Dane voted for it.
But the most recent Marquette Law School poll, released May 21, found 55% of registered voters statewide now favor allowing gay marriage, while 37% oppose it and 6% say they do not know.
While this certainly isn’t the last ruling I expect to see regarding Wisconsin’s ban on same-sex marriage, I do expect that Judge Crabb’s ruling will ultimately be upheld.