Same-sex marriage in Alaska

Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in the U.S. state of Alaska since October 12, 2014, with an interruption from October 15 to 17 while state officials sought without success to delay the implementation of a federal court ruling. A U.S. District Court held on October 12 in the case Hamby v. Parnell that Alaska's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriage violated the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the United States Constitution. On October 15, state officials obtained a two-day stay from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which the United States Supreme Court refused to extend on October 17.

Though Alaska is one a few states which enforces a three-day waiting period between requesting a marriage license and conducting a marriage ceremony, at least one same-sex couple had the waiting period waived immediately after the District Court's ruling.

In March 1995, State Representative Normaon Rokeberg responded to the sudden interest in same-sex marriage by introducing House Bill 227 in the Alaska House of Representatives to add language restricting marriage to the union of one man and one woman to the state statutes. The bill passed the House in February 1996. In March 1996, State Senator Lynda Green introduced Senate Bill 30 in the Alaska Senate, which restricted marriage to "a civil contract between one man and one woman" and forbade the recognition of same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The bill noted that marriage benefits were not be awarded to same-sex couples in Alaska. It passed the Senate Health Committee, the Senate and the House shortly thereafter. Governor Tony Knowles did not veto the bill, but allowed it to become law without his signature on May 6, 1996.

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