A federal appeals court in Boston has declared unconstitutional an anti-gay marriage law that denies federal benefits to married gay couples, local media reported Thursday.

The Boston Herald said the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, is unconstitutional, and discriminates against married gay couples.

The appeals court agreed with a lower court judge who ruled in 2010 that the law is unconstitutional because it interferes with the right of a state to define marriage and denies married gay couples federal benefits given to heterosexual married couples, including the ability to file joint tax returns.

The law was passed in 1996. Since then, many states have instituted their own bans on gay marriage, while eight states have approved it, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland, Washington state and the District of Columbia.

President Barack Obama announced last year that the U.S. Justice Department would no longer defend the constitutionality of the law. After that, House Speaker John Boehner convened the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group to defend it.

Obama voiced support for same-sex marriage earlier this month, while stressing his backing was a personal position and he still supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own.