US federal court strikes down California same-sex marriage ban

SAN FRANCISCO - A US federal appeals court struck down a California law Tuesday that strips gays and lesbians of the right to marry, in the latest round in the battle over same-sex marriage. The Ninth Circuit Court upheld a lower court judge's ruling that an amendment to the California state constitution banning same-sex marriage violated principles of due process and equal protection under the law. Gay marriage was briefly authorized in California in 2008, but later banned by a referendum on what was known as Proposition 8, which rewrote the state's constitution to restrict marriage to unions between a man and a woman. On Tuesday, a three-judge panel at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that a lower court had properly declared the ban a violation of the US Constitution. "Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California," the judges wrote. "The constitution simply does not allow for laws of this sort." California's Attorney General Kamala Harris applauded the appeals court ruling, calling it "a victory for fairness, a victory for equality and a victory for justice." — Agence France Presse