Same-sex marriage advocates netted two victories Tuesday as a San Francisco federal appeals court struck down gay marriage bans in both Idaho and Nevada.
KIVI: "The 9th Circuit ruled that gay couples' equal protection rights were violated by the Idaho ban."
"I think this is the civil right's issue of our time and we're talking about people's right to have a family."
In the ruling, the three-judge panel said, "Idaho and Nevada's marriage laws ... impose profound legal, financial, social and psychic harms on numerous citizens of those states."
According to KNTV in Las Vegas, the lifted ban means those particular concerns could soon be non-issues for same-sex couples.
"These couples can be taxed the same as straight married couples, recognized as next of kin ... and given equal work benefits."
And things moved quickly Tuesday as judges lifted a typically seven-day waiting period for appeals in Idaho and the Clark County, Nev. clerk's office said it plans to issue marriage licenses Wednesday.
Tuesday's decision come just after the U.S. Supreme Court let appeals court rulings allowing same-sex marriages stand in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
According to The New York Times, Idaho officials can appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, but the Nevada decision will not be appealed. So far, 24 states allow same-sex marriages with that number expected to rise in the coming weeks.
This video includes an image from Getty Images.
