Houston - Travis County Probate Judge Guy Herman ruled today that the Texas ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional in a case involving estate inheritance following the death of a spouse.

The following can be attributed to Rebecca L. Robertson, legal and policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas:

"It’s not surprising that a Travis County probate judge determined that the Texas law excluding same-sex couples from civil marriage is unconstitutional. This is just the latest in a long line of rulings from state and federal courts all over the country recognizing that these marriage bans deprive LGBT couples of equal protection under the law and stigmatize their relationships as somehow less worthy. The particulars of the Travis County case, which involved inheritance after the death of one spouse, illustrate how vulnerable LGBT families are because they are deprived the rights and responsibilities that come with marriage.”