A federal judge in California ruled Wednesday that Proposition 8—which legally defined marriage as between a man and a woman—violated the U.S. Constitution. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said Proposition 8 violated the 14th Amendment, which calls for equal protection under the law. "Moral disapproval alone is an improper basis on which to deny rights to gay men and lesbians," Walker wrote in his decision. But victory, almost two years after voters approved the measure, is not guaranteed: Supporters of Proposition 8 have filed an appeal.
