Judge: Indiana Lacks Valid Gay Marriage Ban Reason

INDIANAPOLIS - A federal judge says attorneys defending Indiana's gay marriage ban haven't shown any good reason to not recognize the marriage of a lesbian couple, one of whom has a terminal illness.

Judge Richard Young's order dated Friday outlines the rationale behind his April 10 decision to grant the couple a temporary restraining order barring the state from enforcing its gay marriage ban against them.

Young says he granted the request in large part because Niki Quasney and Amy Sandler are likely to succeed in their bid to have Indiana's gay marriage ban declared unconstitutional.

Young also says his order was based on a wave of recent court rulings finding similar laws in other states unconstitutional.

The state's attorney general's office is defending the ban and had no immediate comment Monday.