AG Kamala Harris calls for Federal Courts to Allow Same Sex Couples to Marry

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today asked the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to dismiss its order prohibiting same-sex marriages in California until an appeal of Proposition 8 is resolved. 

“For 846 days, Proposition 8 has denied equality under the law to gay and lesbian couples,” Attorney General Harris said.  “Each and every one of those days, same-sex couples have been denied their right to convene loved ones and friends to celebrate marriages sanctioned and protected by California law. Each one of those days, loved ones have been lost, moments have been missed, and justice has been denied.”

In a statement filed with the Ninth Circuit, Attorney General Harris asked the appeals court to lift its stay of Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling declaring Proposition 8 — which prohibits same-sex couples from marrying in California — unconstitutional. 

The appeal of Judge Walker’s ruling is pending before the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.  The Ninth Circuit has also asked the California Supreme Court to rule whether the proponents of Proposition 8 have standing to defend the initiative in court.