[JURIST] AP is reporting that a California Superior Court judge has ruled that California's law limiting marriage to a union between a man and a woman is unconstitutional.

4:32 PM ET – San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer has ruled that the California law limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples is unconstitutional. "The state's protracted denial of equal protection cannot be justified simply because such constitutional violation has become traditional," Kramer wrote. Judge Kramer was previously hailed for his impartiality [Christian Post report] in this case by anti-gay marriage groups, which welcomed his October decision granting full-party status to the Campaign for California Families [advocacy website], the organization that sued to stop San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom [Wikipedia profile] from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. The consolidated cases involved a suit brought by a dozen gay couples [SF Chronicle report] and a challenge to state law by San Francisco city officials and civil rights groups. The Alliance Defense Fund [advocacy website] has vowed to appeal the ruling, which, if upheld, would pave the way for California to follow Massachusetts in issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer [official profile] has said in the past that he expected the matter eventually would have to be settled by the California Supreme Court. AP has more.