The ban on same-sex marriage in Missouri has been overturned after a circuit judge ruled it unconstitutional, making it the 32 state to allow gay marriage, according to The Associated Press.
Just a day before, Kansas also removed their ban on same-sex marriages.
St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison said that "the freedom to marry is a fundamental right and liberty deeply rooted in the history of the United States," the AP reported.
Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster immediately appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court, saying the constitutional challenge "must be presented to and resolved" at that level, CNN reported.
After St. Louis issued marriage licenses in June to four same-sex couples, Missouri officials tried to keep the ban on same-sex marriages, according to the AP.
Same-sex marriage has become legal in more than a dozen states since the U.S. Supreme Court said on Oct. 6 that it would not review recent U.S. appeals court decisions striking down state bans, CNN reported.
Mayor of St. Louis, Francis Slay, said the ban has been overdue, and that the times have changed, according to CNN.
"When you have two people who love each other and want to commit to each other through marriage, I can't think of anything more beautiful," Slay said, CNN reported. "Whether you are heterosexual, it shouldn't matter. We are all people under the law, and we should all be treated equally."
Since the supreme court said they would no longer hear appeals on same-sex marriage bans, many cases just like the Missouri lawsuits have occurred across the country, according to the AP.
