Judge to monitor Kansas' actions on gay marriage for 3 years

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge told Kansas on Friday that for three more years he will monitor its compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court's historic decision legalizing gay marriage across the nation.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree issued a permanent barring the state from treating same-sex couples differently than opposite-sex couples in allowing them to marry or extending "other rights, protections, obligations or benefits of marriage" to them.

"It's a shame that the court had to spell this out," said Joshua Block, a senior attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, a lawyer involved in the lawsuit that led to the order.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Rapp said Attorney General Derek Schmidt advises agencies to fully comply with the U.S. Supreme Court decision and would do so without Crabtree's order.

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