Prop 8 Victory! The Sequel

California’s Proposition 8 has been overturned. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the ruling of Judge Vaughn Walker made in 2010 will stay in place - overturning the ban on same-sex marriages in California, which was voted on by the citizens of that state in 2008. “Proposition 8 served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California,” the court said in its 2-1 ruling. For now, no new same-sex marriages will be granted, and the opposition to Proposition 8 will likely be taking the case to the United States Supreme Court - where if the Court takes the case up, could drastically change the scope of same-sex marriage laws across the United States. Equal rights advocates reacted to the news with celebration. “Today’s decision affirms what we all know to be true – our Constitution protects the basic civil rights of all Americans, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Proposition 8 does nothing to strengthen or protect any marriage. Instead, it singles out thousands of loving California families for different treatment, simply because they are gay and lesbian couples. We applaud the Ninth Circuit for recognizing that our Constitution cannot tolerate such egregious discrimination.” Locally, PROMO was one organizationscelebrating the news. “No matter where you live, this is an important decision for the LGBT community,” PROMO executive director AJ Bockelman said in a statement. “Marriage is moving forward. The ability of loving couples to form and protect their families is upheld, you can't get any better than that. However, we must not rest here, there is much more work to do in order to cross the finish line.” On the other side of the river, Equality Illinois also rejoiced at the news of the Prop 8 decision, but called on Illinois to go beyond the civil unions it now supports, to add full marriage equality in the state. “With this ruling, political leaders who support full equality will have important arguments to share with state legislators who will inevitably be asked to vote on full marriage rights in the future,” said in a statement. “Lawmakers need not wait for the ultimate disposition of the California case and other legal rulings to do the right thing in Springfield and Washington, D.C. to end marriage discrimination.” But not everything was joyous about today’s ruling. The defendants in the case are now weighing their options, whether to take the case to the larger 11-member panel of 9th Circuit Court or to the Supreme Court. "Today's ruling finally clears the field for an appeal to the United States Supreme Court, where we are confident we will be victorious," the Save Prop 8 campaign said in a statement. Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney also released a statement saying the fight for states’ rights to ban same-sex marriage is far from over. "Today, unelected judges cast aside the will of the people of California who voted to protect traditional marriage," he said. Romney also said he would appoint judges who oppose same-sex marriage if elected. If the case goes to the Supreme Court, it is unlikely it would be heard until 2013 at the earliest.