SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, rejecting state marriage laws as discriminatory. The Court overturned a gay marriage ban in a 4-3 ruling that would make the nation's largest state the second one to allow gay and lesbian weddings. The justices' decision says domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage. Chief Justice Ron George wrote the opinion.
Read the FULL TEXT OF THE RULING in pdf.
Today's ruling by the Republican-dominated court affects more than 100,000 same-sex couples in the state, about a quarter of whom have children, according to U.S. census figures. It came after high courts in New York, Washington and New Jersey refused to extend marriage rights to gay couples. Before today, only Massachusetts' top court has ruled in favor of permitting gays to wed.
The state high court's 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.
Listen to an informative piece from NPR today.
The above was culled from several sources. Go to the Los Angeles Times or the Associated Press for further reading.
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