Court makes Conn. 3rd state to allow gay marriage

Court makes Conn. 3rd state to allow gay marriage October 10, 2008 - 6:23pm By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press Writer HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A sharply divided Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay couples have the right to get married, saying legislators did not go far enough when they approved same-sex civil unions that were identical to marriages in virtually every respect except the name. The 4-3 ruling will make Connecticut the third state, behind Massachusetts and California, to allow same-sex marriages, decisions that in all cases were made by the highest state court. The decision marks the first time that a court rejected civil unions as an alternative to granting gay couples the right to marry. Californians will vote next month on a ballot measure that would reinstate the gay-marriage ban, but Connecticut's... [read full story]