California Supreme Court,  Gay Marriage

California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marriage Ban

California Gay Marriage plaintiffs and attorney

Winning Plaintiffs & attorney in CA Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage decision. Rev. Troy Perry & husband Phillip Ray De Blieck, Robin Tyler & Diane Olson and their attorney Gloria Allred holding Baby Milo Reifsnyder-Smith, son of 2 gay dads

A split (4-3 decision) California Supreme Court this morning overturned the ban on Gay Marriage that California voters approved by a 61% majority in 2000 in the California Defense of Marriage Act.

The California Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, rejecting state marriage laws as discriminatory.

The state high court’s 4-3 ruling was unlikely to end the debate over gay matrimony in California. A group has circulated petitions for a November ballot initiative that would amend the state Constitution to block same-sex marriage, while the Legislature has twice passed bills to authorize gay marriage. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed both.

The issue may be settled to the glee of California homosexual rights organizations today but 27 states have constitutional bans on the practice. And, this fall, California voters may be asked again to weigh into the fray with the California Initiative and Consitutional Amendment 07-0098, should it qualify for the ballot.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has already stated he will not support the initiative. But, the Evangelical Right, conservative organizations and other churches will view this as a direct assault against marriage and the family.

Stay tuned for a heated campaign that may very well decide the Presidency by driving turnout of Christian RIGHT voters.


7 Comments

  • dd

    Well here we go again. another example of HOW OUR VOTES DONT MATTER. We the people doesnt mean anything any more.
    Californians voted for NO same sex marriages and ENGLISH as our official language and WE the People were over turned by the CAL supreme court AGAIN.
    I suggest Californians mark down the names of the justices who voted to over turn our wishes and make sure to NOT to vote for them again.
    We kicked out Bird after she manipulated the other justices to over turned the death penalty- which is why we are still supporting Manson and his groupies.
    Just examples of why we have low voter turn outs because whats the point, our popular votes dont mean a thing- thats how Bush got elected, we the people didnt want him either.

  • signab43

    dd – our votes DO matter, that’s why the Opponents of Equality are using this asymmetrical issue to pull people to the polls. Every dollar the RR spends in California for this November in the name of banning the gays gets them a vote for a parental notification bill for abortions, a vote for a Republican Governor, a vote for a conservative Circuit Court judge and a vote for a Republican Congressman.

    This issue is polling 80/20 in this state right now, but in people who will go to the polls it is polling about 50/50.

    Remembering what I felt like as a gay teen when this kind of stuff was going on, I thank God that I didn’t care so much about what society thought of me, because I would have killed myself (many others did!). It makes me so sad to see the Opponents of Equality using their neighbors and friends as bait to advance their agenda.

  • los angeles family law attorney

    This is a very sensitive matter, issue between church and the state, in the law church must always be separated from the law, for me the government has jurisdiction on their citizens and if they allow same sex marriage then the church has jurisdiction on their members so they can prohibit their members to agree or do same sex marriage.

  • Flap

    As an attorney you know your argument is hogwash. The California supreme court abrogated the will of California voters who said NO to Gay Marriage.

    The definition of marriage is a legal one and applies not to just the religious arena.

    Since the gay rights folks have pushed this matter through the courts it is now in the hands of California voters to decide the issue.