Alaska judge: Denying tax breaks to same-sex partners unconstitutional

According to The Associated Press (via Forbes), Alaska Superior Court Judge Frank Pfiffner ruled Friday that not extending veteran and disability property tax exemptions to same-sex couples violates the Alaska Constitution's equal protection clause. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska, and the national ACLU, challenged the denial of tax breaks on behalf of three Anchorage couples who would have been eligible for them had they been married. Voters approved a measure in 1998 that amended the Alaska Constitution to define marriage as a union between only a man and a woman. Read much more, here, and find a downloadable copy of the judge's ruling and the ACLU press release announcing his decision on Monday, here, at Bent Alaska.