California Supreme Court Mandates Gay Marriage

[Repeal 16-17]

The California Supreme Court ruled, by a 4-3 vote, that California must allow gay marriage and must call it a "marriage" (no "civil unions" or "domestic partnerships"). An effort is already underway to place a proposed State Constitutional amendment on the ballot in November.

NOTE: This decision is based on the California State Constitution alone, so this case can not be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=08051 5174435.xgo31cvp&sho w_article=1

[qrayjack]

Top California court rules gays may marry - By Jim Christie

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The California Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriages on Thursday in a major victory for gay rights advocates that will allow homosexual couples to marry in the most populous U.S. state.

The court found that California laws limiting marriage to heterosexual couples are at odds with rights guaranteed by the state's constitution. Opponents of gay marriage vowed to contest the ruling with a statewide ballot measure for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages.

The ruling would allow California to be the second state, after Massachusetts, to allow gay marriage. Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Vermont permit same-sex civil unions that grant largely similar rights as those for married couples but lack the full, federal legal protections of marriage.
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[RINOs Gotta Go]

Yeah. It's a sad day for the conservatives in CA. Those four Justices shouldn't have automatically approved gay marriages just because they thought Proposition 22 was unconstitutional. Proposition 22 was not about banning gay marriages, but about affirming marriages between a man and a woman. Shouldn't the gays petition to put a gay marriage proposition on the ballot? Why do conservatives have to jump through hoops while liberals don't? The conservatives have put in so much effort and money to put Proposition 22 on the ballot and to campaign for its passage. Here came four Justices, and all that effort and money was gone.

I hope a stay against the issuance of gay marriage license has been filed by the pro-traditional marriage folks.

[Terri]

Analysis: Gay marriage back as campaign issue

By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press
May 16, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A California Supreme Court decision clearing the way for gay marriages in the state injects an element of uncertainty into a presidential race in which the Iraq war and the sputtering economy have largely overshadowed social issues.

John McCain, the GOP nominee-in-waiting whose position on the issue rankles the Republican Party's conservative base, sought to strike a delicate balance to the Thursday ruling.

He ''supports the right of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution sanctioning the union between a man and a woman, just as he did in his home state of Arizona,'' his campaign said in response. ''John McCain doesn't believe judges should be making these decisions.''

[Cynical Pete]

The California Supreme Court by a vote of 4 to 3, overthrew Democracy by declaring Proposition 22, the measure voters approved overwhelmingly in 2000 that explicitly defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. It was one of the laws struck down yesterday. This is not about Gay Martriage but about judicial tyranny.
Here are a list of the tyrants who must be impeached: Chief Justice Ronald M. George 68 Year sworn: July 1991
Appointed by: Gov. Pete Wilson Justice Joyce L. Kennard 67 Year sworn: April 1989
Appointed by: Gov. George Deukmejian Justice Carlos R. Moreno 59 Year sworn: October 2001
Appointed by Gov. Gray Davis Justice Kathryn M. Werdegar 72 Year sworn: May 1994
Appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson
"A judicial activist is a judge who interprets the Constitution to mean what it would have said if he, instead of the Founding Fathers, had written it." Sam Ervin
"The judiciary of the United States is the subtle corps of sappers and miners constantly working under ground to undermine the foundations of our confederated fabric. They are construing our constitution from a co-ordination of a general and special government to a general and supreme one alone." --Thomas Jefferson

[Terri]

The obvious step is to amend the California Constitution to invalidate this decision. California conservatives were already working on a constitutional amendment which would invalidate the Cali court ruling.

Protect Marriage

LIMIT ON MARRIAGE. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
Amends the California Constitution to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: The measure would have no fiscal effect on state or local governments. This is because there would be no change to the manner in which marriages are currently recognized by the state. (Initiative 07-0068.)

[Repeal 16-17]

The measure would have no fiscal effect on state or local governments. This is because there would be no change to the manner in which marriages are currently recognized by the state.

That's no longer correct. Now that gay marriage is recognized in California, this initiative would change "the manner in which marriages are currently recognized" in California. I guarantee that Liberals will attempt to invalidate the initiative by referring to this. The initiative description should be updated immediately.

[Amawalk John]

Four unelected judges override the initiative and referendum vote of an overwhelming majoritiy of California voters.

California citizens should be up in arms and the judges, with good reason, should fear for their safety.

Gotta side with the voters on this one.

[qrayjack]

Governor backs same-sex marriage ruling
Matthew Yi, Chronicle Staff Writer

A day after the state Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples should have the right to marry in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Friday that he supports the court's decision even though his personal view is that "marriage is between a man and a woman."

Advocates of same-sex marriage have praised Schwarzenegger for embracing Thursday's decision, which overturned a voter-approved law allowing only opposite-sex marriage. They also expect him to make good on his promise last month to help fight a new initiative, aimed for the November ballot, that would overturn the court's ruling.
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*Let's say the ballot initive is successful. Past precedent on other issues is that activists bring the issue back to the appeals court who declare the election unconstitutional and throw out the voters will.

[Terri]

*Let's say the ballot initive is successful. Past precedent on other issues is that activists bring the issue back to the appeals court who declare the election unconstitutional and throw out the voters will.

It's a constitutional amendment. If the California constitution is amended by the people to define marriage as between a man and a woman the California constitution will have been changed.