Court Returns Partner Benefits to Arizona State Workers

In a slap to Gov. Jan Brewer, an appeals court Tuesday ordered Arizona to continue providing health care benefits to the same-sex partners of state employees.

Brewer, a conservative Republican, signed a bill in September 2009 that took away the benefits; former governor Janet Napolitano granted the benefits through an executive order.

In their 13-page opinion, the three-member appeals panel in Phoenix said stripping the benefits would be counter to the constitutional right to equal protection.

While Lambda Legal, which argued the case, hailed the decision, Brewer's office was unsurprisingly displeased.

"In the governor's opinion, this is a step in the wrong direction," a Brewer spokeswoman told Reuters.