California Supreme Court Will Announce Decision on Same Sex Marriage

Friday the information was released that the California Supreme Court is set to announce their decision on Proposition 8 which many say took away rights from an protected minority and therefore could not be approved with a simple majority of voters approval.  

 Because of the holiday Monday, the announcement will be made on Tuesday May 26, 2009.  The court usually announces decisions on Mondays and Thursdays at 10  am.  They release a report of the cases they will announce on the work day before the actual event.  (announcement w/ links to other Proposition news and polls at the side of the SCOC paper.)

247Gay.com has news about a Los Angeles gathering in response to whatever decision was handed down.

Though the 7 Justices of the California Court were threatened with recall and anti-renewal votes if they dismissed Proposition 8, Connecticut's Supreme Court had approved it on the basis of equal protection under the law just before the California's retrograde measure was enacted.  Iowa's Supreme Court affirmed support of same sex marriage earlier this year, and Vermont and Maine will start allowing the marriages later this year due to votes in their legislatures.  New Hampshire is still working on details of a compromise between the legislature and the governor who vetoed legislation for the marriages sent to him earlier because of concerns it could lead to suits on religious adoption agencies.  The lower house refused to approve a compromise bill and sent it back to the upper chamber for more work according to Boston Globe report "N.H. backers regroup on same-sex marriage"

Therefore 5 states already do or will soon recognize such marriages and possibly one more will approve them soon, while courts in the state of New York have ruled that such marriages from other states must be recognized there, and there is some action towards a legislative action to allow licenses for same sex marriages in the future in that state.  The DC city council has voted to allow marriage performed elsewhere to be recognized there.

Last year, when  the CA Supreme Court first declared that same sex marriages must be allowed because of equal protection, only 1 state (MA) had approved the marriages.

Still many states have laws against full marriages, and some believe Proposition 8 having amended the state constitution directly to deny full unions will ensure the justices do not return to last year's thinking.

Tuesday will be the proof.

tags: connecticut  california  massachusetts  vermont  maine  new hampshire  same sex marriage  civil unions  

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