Smokin' Ace

WRAL.com
Calif. Court Voids SF Same-Sex Marriages
POSTED: 10:05 AM EDT August 12, 2004
UPDATED: 1:09 PM EDT August 12, 2004



SAN FRANCISCO -- California's Supreme Court has voided all gay marriages that were sanctioned in San Francisco.

Exactly six months ago, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom sparked equal parts elation and outrage when he allowed same-sex couples to get married in the famously gay-friendly city -- even taking part by officiating at some unions.

On Thursday, the California Supreme Court decided that Newsom exceeded his authority. (Read Newsom's letter telling the city clerk to issue licenses.)



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Legal experts -- and even the Democratic mayor -- assumed the court would rule that Newsom's actions violated state laws defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

What was less clear was how the seven justices would treat the thousands of same-sex marriages that were sanctioned before the court intervened in March.

"It appears quite obvious the court is going to rule against the mayor," Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said Wednesday. "We think that's unfortunate and it's wrong, but of course the more human question is what to do with 4,037 marriage licenses that belong to couples in relationships and with families."

Gay rights advocates said before the ruling the most they can hope for was that the justices would say nothing -- at least for now -- about the validity of licenses gay couples received at San Francisco City Hall between Feb. 12 and March 11, the day the court issued an injunction halting the unprecedented wedding spree.

The city, as well as several legal groups, sued the state the same day, alleging that California's marriage laws as written are an unconstitutional abridgment of the civil rights of gays and lesbians. Those cases, which echo arguments leading to the legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts, are scheduled to be heard later this year in San Francisco County Superior Court.

The ruling "is important, but it will not resolve whether same-sex couples have the right to marry and be treated equally under our state constitution," said Jennifer Pizer, a lawyer with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a gay rights legal aid group before it was released.

Lawyers for the state and a Christian legal organization that filed the pair of cases challenging the mayor's decision asked the court to nullify the disputed marriage licenses if it found that Newsom's action was unlawful.

Gay rights groups have organized rallies to follow the Supreme Court's ruling Thursday, and whatever the result, called for same-sex couples to show up at their county clerk's office on Friday requesting a marriage license.

Previous Stories:
July 22, 2004: U.S. House Votes To Bar Courts From Marriage Law Review
July 14, 2004: Senate Vote Ends Fight Over Marriage Amendment
July 13, 2004: Republicans Have Two Versions Of Marriage Amendment
July 12, 2004: U.S. Senate Leader Calls For Full Debate On Marriage Amendment
July 9, 2004: U.S. Senate Starts Looking At Same-Sex Amendment
June 29, 2004: Mass. Same-Sex Marriage Survives Another Court Challenge
June 22, 2004: Mass. Gov. Testifies In Favor Of Same-Sex Amendment
June 15, 2004: Claim Of 'Same-Sex' Marriage Can't Stop Divorce
June 8, 2004: Groups Want Federal Courts To Stop Same-Sex Weddings
June 5, 2004: Religious Groups Oppose Gay Marriage Amendment
May 26, 2004: S.F. Mayor Thinks Same-Sex Marriage Will Prevail
May 18, 2004: Same-Sex Marriages Raise Legal Issues
May 17, 2004: Gay Couples Throughout Massachusetts Exchange Vows
April 20, 2004: Judge Stops Same-Sex Marriages In Oregon
April 7, 2004: ACLU Sues N.Y. To Allow Same-Sex Marriage
February 25, 2004: Same-Sex Amendment Needed For Clarity, Bush Says
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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winged bear

hey! let em marry! i dont think there is any thing wrong if 2 ppl love each other them getting married.

Mr Bo Jangles

My sentiments exactly!!!!!!!

Marriage is a creation of MAN........not GOD.Man created all the hub bub about MONAGAMY and "SETTLING DOWN".

Marriage creates stability?

I dunno about that. I know more married people who are UNSTABLE than their gay counterparts who want to get married!!!

Back in college, I learned that marriage was created, not long after the invention of farming, when communities of formerly nomadic peoples began settling down into sedentary communes. It was created as a method of sharing wealth and creating alliances between two family groups.

anyway.....

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**jdazmum**

The mayor overstepped his authority though, if I were gay and got married, I'd be crying and bawling too................................well we'll see what happens when it goes up to the Supreme Court. This world's gay community has increased and awareness has grown, we can't stop them.