Judge directs state to pay money to lawyers who challenged state's gay marriage ban

A federal judge has directed Kansas to pay thousands of dollars to attorneys who successfully challenged the state's ban on gay marriage.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree approved the $295,000 request Tuesday from the American Civil Liberties Union lawyers and Kansas City-area attorney Mark Johnson.

The state did not contest the amount.

Five gay and lesbian couples filed suit in 2014 against state officials in agencies that issue driver's licenses and maintain marriage and birth records.

Kansas law and the state constitution prohibit same-sex marriage, but in 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such bans violate the federal constitution.

Crabtree issued an order in July barring the state from treating same-sex couples differently than opposite-sex couples for marriage or extending other benefits.