A district court judge has struck down Colorado’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying it violates due process and equal protection guarantees under the Constitution. It is the 16th time a U.S. court has ruled against a state gay marriage ban since last year’s Supreme Court decision ordering federal recognition of same-sex marriages. The ruling has been stayed pending an appeal. Utah, meanwhile, has appealed a decision striking down the state’s gay marriage ban to the Supreme Court. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a lower court ruling that the ban is unconstitutional. Utah is skipping an appeal to the 10th Circuit in favor of going directly to the Supreme Court. More than 1,000 LGBT couples tied the knot in December during a brief window when a district court struck down Utah’s ban.