The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that same sex couples are not entitled to the same right to marry as heterosexual couples under the state's constitution.

The court's ruling follows on the heels of a ruling in New York earlier this month in which same sex couples were also denied the right to marriage, unless such a right is passed by the legislature and signed by the governor into law.

In the Washington case, 19 couples representing 38 lesbian and gay residents of the state, the plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of the state's Defense of Marriage Act, which was passed in 1998. The ruling is the consolidation of cases from two counties, Thurston County and King County.