The City of Houston was ordered on Wednesday by a district judge to stop offering health and life insurance benefits to the same-sex spouses of married city employees.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker, one of the first openly gay mayors of a major American city, announced in November last year that the city would extend health and life insurance benefits to the same-sex spouses of all married employees.

The change in city policy by Parker triggered three lawsuits, alleging that the policy change breached the city's charter, the state's Defense of Marriage Act as well as the Texas Constitution. State District Judge Lisa Millard ordered the city to stop offering the benefits to same-sex spouses of employees, but that order was lifted in January this year after the city took the widely controversial case to federal court.

Attorney Jared Woodfill, a conservative activist, accused Mayor Parker of putting her personal agenda above the city and federal laws. The attorney also praised the state district court judge for upholding the law and respecting the will of the people.

Speaking on the topic, Woodfill said, "I am very proud to see a judge upholding the law and respecting the will of the people. Unfortunately, we have a mayor whose personal agenda trumps the will of the people and ignores the Texas Constitution and the Texas Defense of Marriage Act."

However, the city attorneys said they were mulling plan to appeal the order, and that once an appeal was filed, all the benefits would remain as they were.