Posted 5-16-08

Calif. High Court Rules Gay Marriages Legal

(NewsRoom) -- The California Supreme Court has ruled Thursday that gay marriages are legal and that homosexual couples in the state may marry.

The landmark decision may be short-lived, however, as religious and social opponents to the ruling rush to put a constitutional amendment barring gay marriages on the November ballot.

If that passes, it could null and void the state court's ruling.

By late afternoon, gay couples had already begun lining up at San Francisco City Hall to get a marriage license.

The Republican-leaning court ruled 4-3 that the state's same-sex partnerships, which convey many rights and benefits of marriage, were not enough to suffice.

"In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," Chief Justice Ronald George wrote for the majority.

Massachusetts is the only other state that recognizes gay marriage. Unlike Massachusetts, however, gay couples can wed in California without being residents of the state. That means homosexual couples from around the country are likely to flock there to perform matrimony.

But even that could be a limited affair, since most U.S. states and the federal government do not recognize gay marriage.

Twenty-six states have constitutional amendments prohibiting gay marriage.