california Suprme Court Uphelds prop 8

The California Supreme Court defended a ban on same-sex wedding today, ratifying a call by voters last year at a time when many state politicians have moved in an opposite direction. The choice preserves the eighteen thousand unions performed between the court's decision last May that same-sex wedding was lawful and the passage by citizens in Nov of Prop eight, which banned it.

Followers of prop 8 disagreed the weddings should be recognized. Today's opinion, penned by Chief Justice Ronald M. George for a 6-to-1 majority, announced that same-sex couples still have the legal right to civil unions, which gives them the facility to select one's life partner and enter with that person into a committed, officially recognized, and protected family relationship that enjoys all the constitutionally based situations of marriage. But the justices related the citizens had obviously voiced their will to restrict the ritual of wedding to opposite-sex couples. Justice George wrote that Offer eight failed to wholly repeal or revoke a right to such a protected relationship, but disagreed that it carves out a narrow and limited exception to these state constitutional rights, reserving the official designation of the term 'marriage' for the union of opposite-sex couples as a matter of state constitutional law. The eighteen thousand existing unions can stand, he wrote, because Offer eight failed to include language particularly claiming it was retroactive. Heated reaction to the call started right away, with protestors obstructing traffic near the court, and recommends for same-sex wedding beginning plans for another election. In L. A.

Jennifer Pizer, the Wedding Project Director for Lambda Legal, announced the decision places it to us to patch up the damage at the ballot box. One of the state's biggest gay rights groups, Equality California, sent an e-mail message to fans pleading for contributions to raise $500,000 toward a huge campaign to put an initiative on the ballot and win..

Shannon Minter, the legal director for the nation's Center for Lesbian Rights, called the choice an awful blow to the thousands of lesbian and gay Californians who awakened today Hoping and praying their status as equal citizens of this state would be restored. people who backed Prop eight were elated. Andrew P. Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com, the number one group behind last year's initiative, claimed he and his allies were awfully gratified by the choice. This is the end result of years of difficult work to save wedding in California, he claimed in an email message.