An Arkansas state judge last month overturned a voter referendum that banned unmarried couples from adopting.
The law was widely seen as aimed at stopping gay couples from adopting, because Arkansas does not allow homosexual marriages.
The measure was approved by voters in 2008 with the backing of conservative groups such as the Arkansas Family Council. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the law on behalf of several families.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza ruled that the ban violated due process rights and cast “an unreasonably broad net” that would leave many children unadopted.
A spokesman for the Family Council said the ruling “undermines the welfare of children.”
