The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday ruled it is unconstitutional to deny benefits to the same-sex partners of public employees, a major victory for gay rights advocates in one of the first states to pass a constitutional ban on homosexual marriage. The unanimous decision essentially hinged on the issue of equal protection for all Alaskans, which could have a sweeping effect on other states, said Michael Macleod-Ball, director of the Alaska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "Other courts in other states could be looking to the state of Alaska on how it handled the equal protection rationale," he...