After years of legal wrangling, the U.S. Supreme Court could decide if same sex marriage is legal in California Friday.
The court will convene to decide whether to hear a case challenging Proposition 8, the amendment banning gay marriage in California. In February, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the amendment unconstitutional, and Prop 8 proponents appealed the ruling. If the Supreme Court chooses not to hear the appeal, then the circuit court ruling would stand, and gay marriage could, once again, be legal in California. If the nation’s top court does take up the case, Californians would likely have to wait several months before a decision is made.
According to the court panel's ruling, the proposition's primary impact was to "lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California."
"It stripped same-sex couples of the ability they previously possessed to obtain and use the designation of `marriage' to describe their relationships," according to the court's decision. "Nothing more, nothing less. Proposition 8 therefore could not have been enacted to advance California's interests in child-rearing or responsible procreation, for it had no effect on the rights of same-sex couples to raise children or on the procreative practices of other couples.
"Nor did Proposition 8 have any effect on religious freedom or on parents' rights to control their children's education; it could not have been enacted to safeguard those liberties."
Opponents of same-sex marriage were equally strong in their words condemning the ruling at the time.
Proposition 8 supporter Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, blasted the ruling, calling it "unfair to the voters, against our republic, against our democratic system..."
"It's illogical and unconstitutional to claim that natural, unchangeable race and ethnicity is the same as sexual behavior,'' he said after the ruling. ``That's not fair or true. Race and ethnicity are inherited, but science has never found homosexuality, bisexuality or transsexuality to be inherited or unchangeable.''
Do you think the Supreme Court should hear the case? Or should the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling be the final word on the matter, legalizing gay marriage in California? Tell us in comments.
—City News Service contributed to this report.
That's freaking me out dudes -n- dudettes.
"Sanctification of Marriage" ?
marriage is a RELIGIOUS ceremony, in which the state should have NO abiding interest.. if you think about it, ALL marriages that demand a license from the state are in fact civil unions, enforceable under law.. maybe we could end the controversy if we simply did away with the term "marriage", and called EVERYTHING a civil union.. doug
Two, adult humans who want to connect their lives had better go in with eyes wide open and not worry what their neighbor is doing.
There is just no way to know how far the gay agenda will expand. Perhaps in the future everyone will declare they are homosexuals and then we will all be equal----------until we get under the bed sheets.
How about discussing what this entertaining, non political guy has to say? http://blip.tv/davidhorowitztv/bill-whittle-6444929
How about using your brain to suggest ways to get us out of the Fiscal Cliff situation. For example, how about giving a corporation a tax break for ever new hire? If they create 5% more jobs reduce their tax rate by 5%. The taxes paid by the new hires would offset the reduced corporate reduction. I am not smart enough to figure out all the variables, but at least it may get the extremist like you and those on the right talking about sensible things instead of just throwing insults at each other.
How juvenile.
My last word
so-called experts and goes on when he's plugging a book
Nice to meet you My name is miss helen. am a young girl I was impressed when i saw your profile today and i will like to establish a long lasting relationship with you. In addition, i will like you to reply me through my e-mail address(helenabirity@yahoo.com) so that i will give you my picture of you to know whom i am, please i will like to tell you how much interested i am in knowing more about you, i think we can start from here and share our feelings together as one. please contact me back with my mail address Thanks waiting to hear from you dear.yours new friend (helenabirity@yahoo.com)
Wait... who's "profile" is she talking about? There are a over 170 comments on here... and dozens of people commenting! So is she into me, or another guy? Oh hell... is she even into guys? (There's lots of women on here. too.) Damn, this is confusing. Guess I'll just ignore this "young girl's" offer and continue my wonderful life with my wonderful wife.