California Judge Upholds Gay Marriage

A U.S. Federal Court judge has overturned Proposition 8, California's same-sex marriage ban.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled Wednesday that the controversial rule was unconstitutional and struck it down.

Passed by the state legislature in November 2008, Proposition 8 was a referendum passed by 52 per cent of California voters that outlawed gay marriages, five months after they were legalized by the state's Supreme Court.

The ruling is significant in that it's the first such ruling in a federal court. Numerous states have supported and challenged the legality of same-sex marriages on a state level, but Judge Walker's ruling in a federal court opens the door to the issue eventually being appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States.

The ruling will almost certainly be appealed, as supporters on both sides of the issue had pledged to do so if the court ruled against them on Wednesday.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/0...-marriage.html

That's great to hear. It's crazy how California of all places is finally getting a few things changed about our conservative country. More power to them. I hope the appeals fall through and the rest of the country can jump on board.

The fourth paragraph is probably the most important. This is the first federal ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. This is a giant leap in the right direction.

Yay! Maybe now I can marry my Enrique!

This is a giant leap in the right direction.

Oh yeah, sure, reinforce the union of church and state that our fore-fathers made seperate.

I'm all for the benefits allowed to same-sex couples that would be granted through marriage, but the marriage process is a religious ceremony. We should have instead removed marriage from the legal documents and replaced it with 'federally binding union' or something, not make a law to change a religion.

but the marriage process is a religious ceremony.

So which religion has dibs on marriage?

not make a law to change a religion.

And on a related note, which religion are we changing, precisely?

So which religion has dibs on marriage? And on a related note, which religion are we changing, precisely?

Beat me to it by a matter of moments.

I would've agreed completely with him til you brought up those points.

(On a side note, I support all gay rights except the right to adopt on which I have no opinion.)

So which religion has dibs on marriage?

Looking as far back as I know, it comes from greek/egyptian times, while also the Hebrews claim they were slaves. All three of those beliefs use marriage (though greek didn't exactly treat it like anything), so we can assume that all of them have dibs on marriage and it would be foolish, pointless, and stupid to say otherwise.