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Showing posts with the label California Constitution

California marriage case: it’s not over yet

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Analysis June 30, 2013 ( blog.heritage.org)  - On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Hollingsworth v. Perry , finding that the official proponents of California’s Proposition 8 (which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman) lacked standing to defend the law in court. Throwing out the federal appellate court’s decision, the Supreme Court sent the case back to the appellate court with instructions to dismiss the case. So what happens next? The short answer is more litigation. Here are a few key points about the case: California state officials refused to defend the law in court. While one federal district court declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional, that ruling may not apply to the entire state of California . At a minimum, the original challengers of the law will now be able to marry. Whether this applies to more same-sex couples in California will be determined in the days to come. In 2009, two same-sex couples who wanted to ma

White House denounces pro-marriage ballot initiative in North Carolina

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The Obama administration has denounced last week’s approval by the North Carolina legislature of a ballot initiative to define marriage as between one man and one woman. White House spokesman Shin Inouye “The President has long believed that gay and  lesbian couples deserve the same rights and legal protections as straight couples,” White House spokesman Shin Inouye  said . “That’s why he has called for repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and determined that his administration would no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA in the courts.” The North Carolina legislature, by three-fifths majority votes in both the state Senate and House, approved the ballot measure that says that marriage “between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.” The amendment will go on the primary ballot in May 2012, which may make it more likely that the amendment will succeed because Republicans will be drawn to the