OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Gay couples in Nebraska will now have their marriages legally recognized in the state that has had one of the most restrictive same-sex union bans in the country.

With the U.S. Supreme Court declaring Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States, couples who have long sought the right to marry in Nebraska are celebrating.

Bil Roby and Greg Tubach, of Lincoln, plan to apply for a marriage license as soon as possible. They are among seven same-sex couples who sued last year to try to force the state to recognize their marriages, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban, approved by 70 percent of voters in 2000. In addition to prohibiting gay marriage, it also forbid civil unions and outlawed domestic partnerships.