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BREAKING: Federal judge rules Prop. 8 same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional
SAN FRANCISCO - California’s voter-approved Proposition 8, which defines marriage exclusively as a union between a man and a woman, violates the United States Constitution, a U.S. District Court judge ruled Wednesday afternoon.
In his highly-anticipated decision, published online Wednesday afternoon, Judge Vaughn Walker sided with opponents of the November 2008 initiative who sought to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples in California.
Supporters of the proposition argued that the initiative did not violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution, and that allowing same-sex marriage would jeopardize family values and procreation.
In his ruling today, Walker disagreed, saying that Proposition 8 violates the equal protection clause by denying gays and lesbians the right to marry a member of the same sex.
Proposition 8 supporters have already begun planning for an appeal to Walker’s decision, which would be heard by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The case is expected to eventually be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
A march and rally organized by Prop. 8 opponents has been planned for 5 p.m. at Market and Castro Sts. Wednesday evening. They will march to San Francisco Civic Center Plaza for a 6:45 p.m. rally near City Hall.