The highest court in New Mexico ruled on Thursday to legalize gay marriage, determining a ban on it unconstitutional and joining 16 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing it, USA TODAY reported.
The state's highest court was asked by county officials to define the law and create a uniform policy of same-sex marriage.
Though state statutes do not specifically prohibit or allow gay marriage, county clerks denied gay couples the licenses since the applications include sections for one male and one female applicant.
In August, a county clerk in southern New Mexico began independently issuing marriage licenses, leading eight of the 33 counties in the state to distribute them as well.
The current and previous state attorney generals have claimed the statute explicitly prohibits gay marriage although current Attorney General Gary King said he believes such a ban is unconstitutional.
Earlier this year, a state district court judge in Albuquerque ruled that a ban on gay marriage is a violation of the state's constitution, citing a 1972 constitutional amendment that prohibits discrimination "on account of the sex of any person."
Immediately following the news, social media sites like Twitter were flooded with tweets in support of the ruling. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, an actor and New Mexico native, said "So happy and proud of my home state of New Mexico right now! #equality."
"The people of New Mexico know #LoveisLove. Congratulations on being the 17th state to legalize marriage equality!" the Democratic Party tweeted.
While many prominent Twitter users were actively applauding the ruling, there was not as much visible dissent against the court's decision online.
