Marriage Amendment To Stay on Calif. Ballot
Californians will get their opportunity to vote this November on a state marriage amendment to reverse a court decision to allow homosexual marriages. The ballot initiative had been challenged by homosexual activist groups but the California Supreme Court ruled last week that all is in order with the proposed amendment to the state constitution so that balloting can move forward.Here's the Baptist Press story on the court decision:
SAN FRANCISCO (BP)--Two months after issuing its landmark "gay marriage" decision, the California Supreme Court handed conservatives a victory July 16, allowing a proposed constitutional marriage amendment to stay on the November ballot.
Without comment the justices denied to hear a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and other liberal and homosexual activist groups that sought to prevent the initiative -- which easily qualified for the ballot with 1.1 million submitted signatures -- from going before voters.
Some of the legal arguments were viewed as long shots, but pro-family attorneys -- having lost confidence in the justices after the May ruling -- remained at least somewhat concerned about what the court might do. The liberal groups argued that the amendment would "revise" the constitution and take away constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights; such fundamental revisions cannot be placed on the ballot via voter initiative and must be approved by two-thirds of the legislature.
The amendment is known as Proposition 8 and, if passed, would reverse the 4-3 decision that made California only the second state to recognize "gay marriage."
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