 They filed suit in the Alaska Superior Court, arguing that their rights to privacy and equal protectionboth of which are referenced in the Alaska Constitutionwere violated by the office's refusal to allow them to marry.Superior Court Judge Peter Michalski ruled in February 1998 that "marriage, i.e., the recognition of one's choice of a life partner, is a fundamental right" and that "the state must...have a compelling interest that supports its decision to refuse to recognize the exercise of this fundamental right by those who choose same-sex partners rather than opposite-sex partners.