News Blog
Gay Marriage Wins on Appeal; Heads to U.S. Supreme Court
February 7, 2012
California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled this morning.
"Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples," Judge Stephen Reinhardt stated for the majority in the 2-1 opinion.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal's decision upheld a 2010 a U.S. District Court ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker, who likewise found the gay marriage ban unconstitutional. California voters approved Prop. 8 in November 2008, closing a brief window of legal gay marriage in the state, during which some 18,000 same-sex couples tied the knot. Their unions remain in effect.
Rainbow weddings are still on hold, however, as Prop. 8 supporters consider an appeal. The case is likely to head to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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