AP: Louisiana Ruling Breaks Winning Streak

September 5, 2014

ABC News Reports:

It was a victory for traditional marriage.

"The decision of this Court is but one studied decision among many."

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman's ruling Wednesday was the first to uphold a state ban since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act last year.

"It is important, because Feldman is a very experienced federal district judge, and no other federal judge has ruled that way at the trial level," Tobias said in a telephone interview. Feldman was appointed to the bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.

Feldman sided with the state, which had argued that the nation's high court, in the Defense of Marriage Act decision, recognized the rights of state voters and legislatures to define marriage.

The conservative Louisiana Family Forum praised the ruling.

"This ruling confirms that the people of Louisiana - not the federal courts - have the constitutional right to decide how marriage is defined in this state," Gene Mills, the group's president, said in a news release.

"I am very pleased with Judge Feldman's ruling today," Attorney General Buddy Caldwell said in a statement Wednesday night. "He agreed with my position that states have a legitimate interest in defining marriage through the democratic process."