Yesterday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional. The decision is expected to be contested in the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, an uproar of commotion of the issue has erupted on both sides.
Advocates of Faith and Freedom, a nonprofit law firm that claims to specialize in “protecting religious liberty in the courts,” released a statement today on its website claiming the overturn is unconstitutional.
“The people of California first voted to preserve marriage between one man and one woman when it adopted Proposition 22 in 2000. The California Supreme Court overturned this initiative in 2008 and declared a new right to same-sex marriage. The voters quickly responded with the successful passage of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment. Today, the 9th Circuit ruled in opposition to the People of California,” AFF wrote.
Supporters have not been quiet either. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom praised Judge Vaughn Walker’s heavily researched decision.
“The fundamental civil rights movement of our time is now processing along at a renewed pace, with renewed vigor and renewed energy,” Newsom said in a press conference.
Women’s studies professor and advisor for LGBT studies at San Diego State, Dr. Esther Rothblum, commented on previous state rulings, and how they may influence the highest court’s decision whether or not to hear the case.
“Every legal body in California that debated same-sex marriage so far has ruled that it is unconstitutional to bar same-sex couples from marrying. It will be interesting to see if the U.S. Supreme court decides to take this on,” Rothblum said.
The decision also had local support from San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who was a long-time same-sex marriage opponent. According to an article in the Los Angeles Time, Sanders was said to have been swayed by his daughter, who introduced Sanders to the LGBT community after coming out as a lesbian.
“Marriage encourages people to take responsibility for each other, provides greater security for children, and helps our country live up to the promises set forth in our founding documents. These are important values for a strong society and we should encourage them,” Sanders said.
