(AP) - A judge in New Haven cleared the way Wednesday for gay couples to get married in the state.

The judge's decision follows a ruling by the Connecticut Supreme Court last month that gave same-sex couples the right to wed rather than accept a civil union law designed to give them the same rights as married couples.

The lower-court New Haven judge's ruling was a final order permitting same-sex marriage.

Massachusetts is the only other state that allows gay marriages. Like the highest courts in that state and Connecticut, the California Supreme Court had ruled in the spring that same-sex marriage was legal.

But after thousands such unions were conducted in California, voters last week approved a referendum banning the practice.

After Wednesday's ruling, couples in New Haven immediately marched to City Hall to get marriage licenses. Less than two hours after the final court hearing, Peg Oliveira and Jennifer Vickery were married in a brief ceremony next to New Haven City Hall.

"I feel so happy," says Vickery, a 44-year-old attorney. "It's so much more emotional than I expected."

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