Same-sex couples are now legally permitted to get married in Arizona.

Beginning on Friday, gay marriage became legal in The Copper State after Attorney General Tom Horne announced that the state would not challenge a federal court decision that overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

According to Horne, the state has a "zero" percent chance of getting a successful appeal. He therefore issued a statement instructing county clerks to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

"Effective immediately, the clerks of Arizona county superior courts cannot deny a marriage license to any otherwise eligible licensees on the grounds that the license permits a marriage between persons of the same sex," Horne wrote in his letter, according to AZ Central.

Shortly after, same-sex couples began lining up at the courthouse in downtown Phoenix to get hitched, reports the Los Angeles Times.

One of the couples that exchanged vows at the courthouse was David Larance and Kevin Patterson, who were among the plaintiffs who sued to overturn Arizona's ban.

"This is a great day," Patterson said, ABC News reports. "I never thought this would happen in Arizona."

On Friday, District Court Judge John Sedwick also struck down Arizona's gay marriage ban on Friday, without issuing a stay of his ruling. Instead, he said "it is clear" an appeal would not succeed.

In his written opinion, Judge Sedwick cited the 9th Circuit's decision.

"The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently ruled that substantially identical provisions of Nevada and Idaho law that prohibit same-sex marriages are invalid because they deny same-sex couples equal protection of the law, the right to which is guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States," he said. "This court is bound by decisions of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit."

The ruling comes after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a non-decision decision on Oct. 6, which upheld rulings that struck down gay marriage.

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