A federal appeals court has ruled that California’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, setting up a showdown in the Supreme Court. The state instituted the ban after voters narrowly passed Proposition 8 in 2008. But Tuesday's panel affirmed by a 2–1 vote that a lower-court judge was correct when he said the referendum violated the U.S. Constitution. Supporters of Proposition 8 had tried to throw out U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling that the ban was unconstitutional on the grounds that he had failed to disclose his sexual orientation. In a separate ruling Tuesday, the appeals court refused to set aside Walker’s decision.
David Jefferson on His Four Gay Marriages and a Legal Victory Against Prop 8By David Jefferson
As the debate over gay marriage rages, David Jefferson on how he’s come to treasure his wedding less as a victory for equal rights, and more like a human right of passage.
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Civil-Rights VictoryBy John Avlon
Coming just one month into the GOP primary calendar, the court’s Proposition 8 overruling is all but certain to open up another front on the culture wars. But don’t let that detract from the momentous victory for gay marriage.
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Celebrity ReactionsBy Brian Ries
