California Marriage Reactions

Some reactions to the ruling....

Obama campaign:

Barack Obama has always believed that same-sex couples should enjoy equal rights under the law, and he will continue to fight for civil unions as President. He respects the decision of the California Supreme Court, and continues to believe that states should make their own decisions when it comes to the issue of marriage.

Clinton campaign:

Hillary Clinton believes that gay and lesbian couples in committed relationships should have the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans and believes that civil unions are the best way to achieve this goal. As President, Hillary Clinton will work to ensure that same sex couples have access to these rights and responsibilities at the federal level. She has said and continues to believe that the issue of marriage should be left to the states.

McCain campaign:

John McCain supports the right of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution sanctioning the union between a man and a woman, just as he did in his home state of Arizona. John McCain doesn’t believe judges should be making these decisions.

Americans For Truth About Homosexuality:

This will always be immoral. California's highest court has created a "fundamental" marriage right out of behavior - homosexuality - that is fundamentally wrong and destructive. At left is a homosexual male kissing scene as it appeared on the CBS soap "As the World Turns." Everywhere Americans turn - TV, media, schools, in corporations and the courts - this unhealthy and immoral behavior is being promoted.

Andrew Sullivan:

As usual, the lazy critics are uninformed. The California court has not over-ruled the legislature: in fact, the legislature has voted for full marriage equality twice already. And the court has not "created" a right to marriage for gay couples. It has argued that if the state has conceded that domestic partners should have, under state law, all the benefits and responsibilities of married couples, the designation of a separate and distinct category must be suspect, under strict scrutiny, to the inference that the designation is based on a desire to deny gay couples equal dignity and recognition.

Page One Q:

"The Cable News Network (CNN), a few moments after 1pm ET today, reported that the Supreme Court of California ruled against marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. Just one small problem: They didn't bother to read the whole ruling before reporting the story...." (read the rest and watch the clip).

Los Angeles Times:

Opponents of same-sex marriage in California expressed dismay after the state's Supreme Court ruled in favor of the unions today, but said the decision likely would galvanize supporters of a November ballot measure that would bar such marriages. "This is yet another example of why the people need to go to the polls in November to defend the historic and natural definition of marriage," said Ron Prentice, executive director of the Sacramento- and Riverside-based California Family Council, which opposes same-sex marriage. (read the rest)

Leonard Link:

The 4-3 ruling, embodied in a 121-page decision by Chief Justice Ronald M. George, supplemented by Justice Joyce L. Kennard’s concurring opinion, drew two lengthy dissenting opinions, one by Justice Marvin R. Baxter, which was joined by Justice Ming W. Chin, and the other by Justice Carol A. Corrigan. Both of the dissenting opinions argued that the question of marriage was for the legislature or the people to decide through referendum, but not for the court. While the ruling on marriage was in itself momentous, the ruling on "suspect classification" was potentially even more significant, as it casts into serious question any state law or policy that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. (Very detailed analysis follows)

Family Research Council:

It's outrageous that the court has overturned not only the historic definition of marriage, but the clear will of the people of California, as expressed in Proposition 22. said FRC President Tony Perkins. The California Supreme Court assumed the powers of a legislative body by imposing same-sex marriage. However, in 2000, the people of California spoke loudly and clearly on the value of marriage when 61 percent of voters approved Proposition 22. The California Supreme Court has taken a jackhammer to the democratic process, and the right of the people to affect change in public policy. Four judges discarded the votes of 4,618,673 Californians who approved the states Defense of Marriage Act. Voters understand that children should not be deprived of a mother or a father, added Perkins.