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Northwest Statehouses Celebrate, Rue Gay Marriage

A couple holds hands at a gay pride rally in Portland June 14, 2015.
Alan Sylvestre
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OPB
A couple holds hands at a gay pride rally in Portland June 14, 2015.

Northwest politicians reacted Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage in all 50 states.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum (D) was among the celebrants. In 2014 she declined to defend an Oregon gay marriage ban in federal court. The overturn of that ban legalized gay marriage in Oregon last May.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) asked Oregonians to celebrate, and opened her statement with the popular marriage rights phrase, "love wins."

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) saw Washingtonians approve gay marriage on the same ballot that elected him to the governor's office in 2012.

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R) fought for Idaho's voter-approved gay marriage ban even after federal court rulings blocked it in October 2014. Friday the U.S. Supreme Court opinion ended that battle, and Otter called it "truly disappointing."

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter called Friday's U.S. Supreme Court opinion legalizing gay marriage "truly disappointing."
Credit Idaho Governor's Office
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Idaho Governor's Office
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter called Friday's U.S. Supreme Court opinion legalizing gay marriage "truly disappointing."

Friday's ruling doesn’t directly address Idaho, but justices decided states cannot deny same-sex couples the right to marry. The Idaho attorney general's office says it's reviewing the high court opinion.

Copyright 2015 Northwest News Network

Jessica Robinson
Jessica Robinson reported for four years from the Northwest News Network's bureau in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho as the network's Inland Northwest Correspondent. From the politics of wolves to mining regulation to small town gay rights movements, Jessica covered the economic, demographic and environmental trends that have shaped places east of the Cascades. Jessica left the Northwest News Network in 2015 for a move to Norway.
Phyllis Fletcher managed our regional collaborative journalism service for three years before accepting a bureau chief post with NPR. She is sought as a news analyst for live broadcast, and as a writer and speaker on racism, inclusive sourcing and breaking news production techniques.