Update (by Autumn): Many religious right press releases below the fold added, moved from the Prop 8 is overturned! thread.

Rumor has it that Maggie Gallagher and Evan Wolfson are on AC360 tonight… HEE!

More reactions below the fold.

Mags Gallagher has temporarily crawled out from under her rock to spew… (h/t MeghanStabler)

“The ‘trial’ in San Francisco in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case is a unique, and disturbing, episode in American jurisprudence.

Here we have an openly gay (according to the San Francisco Chronicle) federal judge substituting his views for those of the American people and of our Founding Fathers who I promise you would be shocked by courts that imagine they have the right to put gay marriage in our Constitution.  

We call on the Supreme Court and Congress to protect the people’s right to vote for marriage,” stated Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of the Board of NOM.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer interviewed FRC’s Tony Perkins live awhile ago:

“This lawsuit, should it be upheld on appeal and in the Supreme Court, would become the ‘Roe v. Wade’ of same-sex ‘marriage,’ ” said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, referring to the 1973 decision that legalized abortion.

Perkins said the ruling, which found California’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional, would overturn marriage bans adopted by dozens of states if it is upheld.

From NOM:

Federal Judge Rules Marriage Unconstitutional!

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Moments ago, in a burst of unprecedented judicial arrogance, Judge Walker struck down California’s Prop 8.

This is a ruling that not only ignores the clear, legally-enacted will of the people of California, but jeopardizes the marriage laws of 45 states and threatens to strip millions of Americans of our core civil right to vote for marriage. We will fight back! Details to follow . . . .

You can read the decision, and follow all the latest coverage at www.prop8case.com. And please join me online today at 7 p.m. (ET), when I’ll check in from our Summer for Marriage bus tour to provide our official video response to the ruling.

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown

President

National Organization for Marriage

2029 K Street, NW, Suite 300

Washington, DC  20006

bbrown@nationformarriage.org

Brian biting his tongue, rather than opine further…

Okay, let’s have ’em folks! Whatcha got?Pam sent along this presser from Coral Ridge Ministries:

Judicial Abuse: California Judge’s Ruling on Marriage

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (August 4, 2010) – Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision today to strike down California citizens’ constitutional amendment protecting marriage is the latest in a shocking line of judicial abuses.

A majority of voters approved Proposition 8 in 2008, including 70 percent of African-Americans. And yet Judge Walker sees the legal codification of the millennia-old understanding of marriage as the union of a man and a woman as merely a form of bigotry, like racism.

“The judge’s contempt for the rule of law and a constitutionally guaranteed self-governing republic cannot be overemphasized,” said Robert Knight, Senior Writer and Washington, D.C. Correspondent for Coral Ridge Ministries, who was a draftsman of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. “With courts turning traditional values into a form of ‘hate’ actionable under the law, we are seeing the criminalization of not only Christianity but of the foundational values of civilization itself.

“As the case heads to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and eventually to the Supreme Court, Americans need to pray that the judges diligently seek wisdom before ruling. And we urge our constituents to encourage public officials to support ways to stop the judicial wrecking ball from further damaging God’s oldest human institution – marriage.”

Update adds of religious right organization commentaries and media releases:

Gary Randall of the Faith And Freedom Network:

Natural marriage, as between one man and one woman, was overruled this afternoon by California Judge Vaughn Walker as he struck down Proposition 8.

In the 136-page ruling, the judge said, “Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Prop. 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.”

Natural marriage is more than a notion about superiority. Only a judge blinded by his own activism could look past the fact that natural marriage has been the cornerstone of all successful civilizations in recorded history. There are valid reasons for that historical principle. It has nothing to do with superiority.

The judge said, “Because Proposition 8 disadvantages gays and lesbians without any rational justification, Proposition 8 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”

Using the same logic, this judge would also likely be inclined to rule in favor of polygamy or even group marriages.

In that Prop 8 was passed by a majority of the people (52%), California Attorney General Jerry Brown and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were the original defendants. It will not surprise you that they did not support Prop. 8 in court.

This case will be appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco. Given their history, they will likely uphold Walker’s decision. The case will then go to the US Supreme Court.

The assault on marriage and family continues.

American Family Association:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cindy Roberts

August 4, 2010

AFA condemns marriage ruling tyrannical, abusive and unconstitutional

Statement from Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, in response to Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling overturning California’s marriage amendment, also known as Prop 8:

“This is a tyrannical, abusive and utterly unconstitutional display of judicial arrogance. Judge Walker has turned ‘We the People’ into ‘I the Judge.’

“It’s inexcusable for him to deprive the citizens of California of their right to govern themselves, and cavalierly trash the will of over seven million voters. This case never should even have entered his courtroom. The federal constitution nowhere establishes marriage policy, which means under the 10th Amendment that issue is reserved for the states.

“It’s also extremely problematic that Judge Walker is a practicing homosexual himself. He should have recused himself from this case, because his judgment is clearly compromised by his own sexual proclivity. The fundamental issue here is whether homosexual conduct, with all its physical and psychological risks, should be promoted and endorsed by society. That’s why the people and elected officials accountable to the people should be setting marriage policy, not a black-robed tyrant whose own lifestyle choices make it impossible to believe he could be impartial.

“His situation is no different than a judge who owns a porn studio being asked to rule on an anti-pornography statute. He’d have to recuse himself on conflict of interest grounds, and Judge Walker should have done that.

“The Constitution says judges hold office ‘during good Behavior.’ Well, this ruling is bad behavior – in fact, it’s very, very bad behavior – and we call on all members of the House of Representatives who respect the Constitution to launch impeachment proceedings against this judge.”

Family Research Council:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 4, 2010

CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Darin Miller, (866) FRC-NEWS or (866)-372-6397

FRC Criticizes Court Ruling, Warns against the Roe v. Wade of Same-Sex ‘Marriage’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Family Research Council (FRC) criticized today’s decision by federal District Court Judge Vaughn Walker which declared that the U.S. Constitution includes a right to same-sex “marriage.”  

Earlier this year, FRC filed an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) legal brief in a lawsuit brought by advocates of so-called “same-sex marriage” against California’s Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment adopted by California voters in 2008 which says (in full), “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” FRC will now join the fight to reverse the decision on appeal.  

FRC President Tony Perkins released the following statement:

“This lawsuit, should it be upheld on appeal and in the Supreme Court, would become the ‘Roe v. Wade’ of same-sex ‘marriage,’ overturning the marriage laws of 45 states. As with abortion, the Supreme Court’s involvement would only make the issue more volatile. It’s time for the far Left to stop insisting that judges redefine our most fundamental social institution and using liberal courts to obtain a political goal they cannot obtain at the ballot box.

“Marriage is recognized as a public institution, rather than a purely private one, because of its role in bringing together men and women for the reproduction of the human race and keeping them together to raise the children produced by their union. The fact that homosexuals prefer not to enter into marriages as historically defined does not give them a right to change the definition of what a ‘marriage’ is.

“Marriage as the union between one man and one woman has been the universally-recognized understanding of marriage not only since America’s founding but for millennia.  To hold that the Founders created a constitutional right that none of them could even have conceived of is, quite simply, wrong.

“FRC has always fought to protect marriage in America and will continue to do so by working with our allies to appeal this dangerous decision. Even if this decision is upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals-the most liberal appeals court in America-Family Research Council is confident that we can help win this case before the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Click here to download Family Research Council’s amicus brief: http://www.frc.org/legalbrief/perry-v-schwarzenegger

Concerned Women For America:

Prop. 8 Case Strikes at the Heart of Democracy

For Information Contact:

Demi Bardsley

(202) 255-2278  (202) 255-2278

media.cwfa.org

Concerned Women for America

1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20005

Phone: (202) 488-7000

Fax: (202) 488-0806

Washington, DC and San Diego, CA – Today, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker handed down his much expected decision on Prop. 8 (Perry v. Schwarzenegger) declaring unconstitutional California’s constitutional provision defining marriage as the union between one man and one woman.

Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America (CWA), said:

“Judge Walker’s decision goes far beyond homosexual ‘marriage’ to strike at the heart of our representative democracy. Judge Walker has declared, in effect, that his opinion is supreme and ‘We the People’ are no longer free to govern ourselves. The ruling should be appealed and overturned immediately.

“Marriage is not a political toy. It is too important to treat as a means for already powerful people to gain preferred status or acceptance. Marriage between one man and one woman undergirds a stable society and cannot be replaced by any other living arrangement.

“Citizens of California voted to uphold marriage because they understood the sacred nature of marriage and that homosexual activists use same-sex ‘marriage’ as a political juggernaut to indoctrinate young children in schools to reject their parent’s values and to harass, sue and punish people who disagree.

“CWA stands in prayer for our nation as we continue to defend marriage as the holy union God created between one man and one woman.”

CWA of California State Director Phyllis Nemeth said:

“Today Judge Vaughn Walker has chosen to side with political activism over the will of the people. His ruling is slap in the face to the more than seven million Californians who voted to uphold the definition of marriage as it has been understood for millennia.

“While Judge Walker’s decision is disappointing it is not the end of this battle. Far from it. The broad coalition of support for Proposition 8 remains strong, and we will support the appeal by ProtectMarriage.com, the official proponent of Proposition 8.

“We are confident that Judge Walker’s decision will ultimately be reversed. No combination of judicial gymnastics can negate the basic truth that marriage unites the complementary physical and emotional characteristics of a man and a woman to create a oneness that forms the basis for the family unit allowing a child to be raised by his or her father and mother. Any other combination is a counterfeit that fails to provide the best environment for healthy child rearing and a secure foundation for the family. It is this foundation upon which society is – and must be – built for a healthy and sustained existence.”

Randy Thomasson and SaveCalifornia.com:

SAVECALIFORNIA.COM NEWS RELEASE

August 4, 2010 — For Immediate Release

California Pro-Family Leader Responds to Prop. 8 Ruling

Thomasson: “Natural marriage, voter rights, the Constitution, and our republic called the United States of America have all been dealt a terrible blow.”

Sacramento, California — In response to today’s ruling on California’s Proposition 8 by U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker, SaveCalifornia.com President Randy Thomasson, a longtime defender of marriage rights for only one man and one woman, has issued the following statement:

“Natural marriage, voter rights, the Constitution, and our republic called the United States of America have all been dealt a terrible blow. Judge Walker has ignored the written words of the Constitution, which he swore to support and defend and be impartially faithful to, and has instead imposed his own homosexual agenda upon the voters, the parents, and the children of California. This is a blatantly unconstitutional ruling because marriage isn’t in the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution guarantees that state policies be by the people, not by the judges, and also supports states’ rights, thus making marriage a state jurisdiction. It is high time for the oath of office to be updated to require judicial nominees to swear to judge only according to the written words of the Constitution and the original, documented intent of its framers. As a Californian and an American, I am angry that this biased homosexual judge, in step with other judicial activists, has trampled the written Constitution, grossly misused his authority, and imposed his own agenda, which the Constitution does not allow and which both the people of California and California state authorities should by no means respect.”

Background: Aug. 4 morning statement — Homosexual Judge Vaughn Walker has already shown his bias

— end —

Randy Thomasson and SaveCalifornia.com are not party to the Prop. 8 case. Randy Thomasson has been defending marriage licenses and marriage rights for one man and one woman throughout California since 1994.

SaveCalifornia.com is a leading West Coast nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing children and families. We stand for marriage and family, parental rights, the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, financial freedom, and back-to-basics education.

Focus On The Family/CitizenLink:

PROP 8 DECISION NOT THE LAST WORD

Judges who ignore the law and evidence ultimately endure appellate court reversal

Posted by Carrie Kintz

Colorado Springs, Colorado (August 4, 2010 )- CitizenLink Judicial Analyst Bruce Hausknecht released the following statement today in response to U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker striking down Proposition 8 and the traditional definition of marriage in a ruling today.

“Judge Walker’s ruling raises a shocking notion that a single federal judge can nullify the votes of more than 7 million California voters, binding Supreme Court precedent, and several millennia-worth of evidence that children need both a mom and a dad.

“During these legal proceedings, the millions of California residents who supported Prop 8 have been wrongfully accused of being bigots and haters. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, they are concerned citizens, moms and dads who simply wanted to restore to California the long-standing understanding that marriage is between one woman and one man – a common-sense position that was taken away by the actions of another out-of-control state court in May 2008.

“Fortunately for them, who make up the majority of Californians, this disturbing decision is not the last word.

“We fully expect the judge’s decision to be overturned upon appeal. The redeeming feature of our judicial system is that one judge who ignores the law and the evidence must ultimately endure the review and reversal of his actions from the appellate courts.

“We do want Americans to understand the seriousness of this decision, however. If this judge’s decision is not overturned, it will most likely force all 50 states to recognize same-sex marriage. This would be a profound and fundamental change to the social and legal fabric of this country.

“Our Founders intended such radical changes to come from the people, not from activist judges. Alexander Hamilton, in advocating for the ratification of our Constitution in 1788, argued that the judiciary would be ‘the least dangerous’ branch of government. Today’s decision shows how far we have come from that original understanding.”

###

Traditional Values Coalition:

TVC Angered by One Rogue Judge Striking Prop 8 from Constitution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWS

August 4, 2010

TVC Angered by One Rogue Judge Striking Prop 8 from Constitution,

Warn Democracy and Election Process Are On the Verge of Total Destruction

Anaheim, California-“It is an outrage that one arrogant and rogue federal judge can take it upon himself to overturn a centuries old definition of marriage and family,” said Rev. Lou Sheldon, chairman and founder of Traditional Values Coalition (TVC). “On November 4, 2008, 7 million voters of California cemented into the state constitution a definition of marriage for one man and one woman only. Now with US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling today he has completely undermined the expressed will of voters at the ballot box. Direct Democracy has been blatantly attacked today.”

“First it was the California Supreme Court’s decision in 2008 to overturn Prop 22 and force the people of California to accept homosexual marriages. Well, the people adamantly rejected their ruling and homosexual marriages and they passed Prop 8, which was designed to forever tie the hands of judges from redefining marriage. Now one judge has yet again slapped the people in the face, even though the state constitution now clearly tells them what marriage means; we spelled it out for them in black and white,” Sheldon added. “This is a blatant sign of judicial activism and lack of judicial restraint.”

Sheldon added: “There is more at stake than just traditional marriage and the centuries long definition of the family. This ruling seriously undermines the expressed vote and will of the people on initiatives and proposed amendments they approve at the ballot box. This judge’s ruling says that any vote of the people will have no weight, credence, sovereignty, value or worth at all. On appeal, the courts will either realize their limits and not undermine the constitutional power of the vote, or they will continue to demonstrate the most blatant arrogance and impose judicial tyranny by declaring that they alone, and not the people, have the ultimate final say on all matters of the state. Democracy, the constitution and the people would be beneath them.”

Traditional Values Coalition is an interdenominational and multi-racial public policy organization speaking on behalf of 43,000 churches nationwide and 8,300 churches in California.  For further information about Traditional Values Coalition please call Benjamin Lopez at (714) 520-300 or visit our website at www.traditionalvalues.org.

National Organization For Marriage (NOM):

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 4, 2010

CONTACT:

Elizabeth Ray or Mary Beth Hutchins at 703-683-5004

National Organization for Marriage Decries  Federal Court Decision Invalidating Proposition 8; Calls on the Supreme Court  and Congress to Protect Americans’ Right to Vote for Marriage

“With a stroke of his pen, Judge Walker has overruled the votes and values of 7 million Californians  who voted for marriage as one man and one woman. This ruling, if allowed to stand, threatens not only  Prop 8 in California but the laws in 45 other states that define marriage as one man and one woman.”

– Brian Brown, President, National Organization for Marriage

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today decried the decision of U.S. Circuit Court Judge Vaughn Walker to invalidate California’s Proposition 8, an amendment which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman:

“Big surprise! We expected nothing different from Judge Vaughn Walker, after the biased way he conducted this trial,” said Brian Brown, President of NOM. “With a stroke of his pen, Judge Walker has overruled the votes and values of 7 million Californians who voted for marriage as one man and one woman. This ruling, if allowed to stand, threatens not only Prop 8 in California but the laws in 45 other states that define marriage as one man and one woman.”

“Never in the history of America has a federal judge ruled that there is a federal constitutional right to same sex marriage. The reason for this is simple – there isn’t!” added Brown.

“The ‘trial’ in San Francisco in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case is a unique, and disturbing, episode in American jurisprudence. Here we have an openly gay (according to the San Francisco Chronicle) federal judge substituting his views for those of the American people and of our Founding Fathers who I promise you would be shocked by courts that imagine they have the right to put gay marriage in our Constitution. We call on the Supreme Court and Congress to protect the people’s right to vote for marriage,” stated Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of the Board of NOM.

“Gay marriage groups like the Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry, and Equality California will, no doubt, be congratulating themselves over this “victory” today in San Francisco. However, even they know that Judge Walker’s decision is only temporary. For the past 20 years, gay marriage groups have fought to avoid cases filed in federal court for one good reason – they will eventually lose. But these groups do not have control of the Schwarzenegger v. Perry case, which is being litigated by two egomaniacal lawyers (Ted Olson and David Boies). So while they congratulate themselves over their victory before their home-town judge today, let’s not lose sight of the fact that this case is headed for the U.S. Supreme Court, where the right of states to define marriage as being between one man and one woman will be affirmed-and if the Supreme Court fails, Congress has the final say. The rights of millions of voters in states from Wisconsin to Florida, from Maine to California, are at stake in this ruling; NOM is confident that the Supreme Court will affirm the basic civil rights of millions of American voters to define marriage as one man and one woman,” noted Gallagher.

The National Organization for Marriage is a nonprofit organization with a mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it. Founded in response to the growing need for an organized opposition to same-sex marriage in state legislatures, NOM serves as a national resource for marriage-related initiatives at the state and local level. For decades, pro-family organizations have educated the public about the importance of marriage and the family, but have lacked the organized, national presence needed to impact state and local politics in a coordinated and sustained fashion. NOM seeks to fill that void, organizing as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, giving it the flexibility to lobby and support marriage initiatives across the nation. Find out more at www.nationformarriage.org.

To schedule an interview with Brian Brown, President, or Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of the Board, of the National Organization for Marriage, please contact Mary Beth Hutchins, mhutchins@crcpublicrelations.com, (x105), or Elizabeth Ray, ,eray@crcpublicrelations.com, (x130) at 703-683-5004.

Illinois Family Institute:

IFI & AFA Condemn California Marriage Ruling

8/4/2010 5:00:00 PM -Illinois Family Institute

Tyrannical, Abusive and Unconsititutional

“This is a tyrannical, abusive and utterly unconstitutional display of judicial arrogance. Judge Walker has turned ‘We the People’ into ‘I the Judge” said Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, in response to Judge Vaughn Walker’s ruling overturning California’s marriage amendment.

“Marriage was not created by man or governments,” said IFI Executive Director David E. Smith “It is an institution created by God, civil governments merely recognize its importance. To suggest that homosexual practitioners are being denied certain ‘rights’ because the government doesn’t recognize their relationships is intellectually dishonest.”

“Christians must not ignore the relentless assault on traditional marriage and the natural family any longer,” said Smith. “Radical forces seek to eradicate our right to uphold and live out biblical standards. Here in Illinois, liberals are pushing for a homosexual ‘civil unions’ law.”

“The attempts to erode our freedoms through the destruction of marriage and the family relentlessly continue, aided and abetted by out-of-control government, activist courts, and the liberal mainstream media.

“We cannot cower in fear of tyrants who threaten to destroy this great country. Instead, as Buckley suggests, we must assert our rights as American citizens to take back the government from the few who would wrest it away from us and illegitimately impose their corrosive ideology.

AFA’s Wildmon also pointed out that it is “extremely problematic that Judge Walker is a practicing homosexual himself. He should have recused himself from this case, because his judgment is clearly compromised by his own sexual proclivity. The fundamental issue here is whether homosexual conduct, with all its physical and psychological risks, should be promoted and endorsed by society. That’s why the people and elected officials accountable to the people should be setting marriage policy, not a black-robed tyrant whose own lifestyle choices make it impossible to believe he could be impartial.

“His situation is no different than a judge who owns a porn studio being asked to rule on an anti-pornography statute. He’d have to recuse himself on conflict of interest grounds, and Judge Walker should have done that.

“It’s inexcusable for him to deprive the citizens of California of their right to govern themselves,” said Wildmon, “and cavalierly trash the will of over seven million voters. This case never should even have entered his courtroom. The federal constitution nowhere establishes marriage policy, which means under the 10th Amendment that issue is reserved for the states.

“The Constitution says judges hold office ‘during good Behavior.’ Well, this ruling is bad behavior — in fact, it’s very, very bad behavior – and we call on all members of the House of Representatives who respect the Constitution to launch impeachment proceedings against this judge.”

Coral Ridge Ministries:

CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 4, 2010

CONTACT:    

Andrew Scott, (954) 334-5332, a.scott@crministries.org

John Aman, (954) 334-5330 or (954) 540-8560 (cell)

Judicial Abuse: California Judge’s Ruling on Marriage

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (August 4, 2010) – Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision today to strike down California citizens’ constitutional amendment protecting marriage is the latest in a shocking line of judicial abuses.

A majority of voters approved Proposition 8 in 2008, including 70 percent of African-Americans. And yet Judge Walker sees the legal codification of the millennia-old understanding of marriage as the union of a man and a woman as merely a form of bigotry, like racism.

“The judge’s contempt for the rule of law and a constitutionally guaranteed self-governing republic cannot be overemphasized,” said Robert Knight, Senior Writer and Washington, D.C. Correspondent for Coral Ridge Ministries, who was a draftsman of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. “With courts turning traditional values into a form of ‘hate’ actionable under the law, we are seeing the criminalization of not only Christianity but of the foundational values of civilization itself.

“As the case heads to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and eventually to the Supreme Court, Americans need to pray that the judges diligently seek wisdom before ruling. And we urge our constituents to encourage public officials to support ways to stop the judicial wrecking ball from further damaging God’s oldest human institution – marriage.”

###

INTERVIEW REQUESTS: To request an interview with Robert Knight, Coral Ridge Ministries’ Washington, D.C., Correspondent and author of Radical Rulers: The White House Elites Who Are Pushing America Toward Socialism, please contact Andrew Scott at a.scott@crministries.org or (954) 334-5332, or John Aman at (954) 334-5330 or (954) 540-8560 (cell).

Coral Ridge Ministries is a Christian media outreach founded by the late Dr. D. James Kennedy. Its programming reaches a national television, radio, and Internet audience at www.coralridge.org.

Family Policy Institute of Washington:

Federal Judge Rules Marriage Unconstitutional

Today a federal judge in California, Vaughn Walker, ruled that the emperor has beautiful clothes and those of you who can’t see that just aren’t up with the times.  More specifically, Judge Walker ruled that it is illegal to define marriage as a relationship involving one man and a woman.  In doing so, he struck down Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment passed by the people of California that did just that.

 The full text of the decision can be found here.

  In a ruling that is a departure from a long line of federal precedent on this issue, the judge ruled that Proposition 8 violated both the federal equal protection and due process clause.   In reaching this decision, the judge determined that there is no rational reason to believe marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman.

  In simple terms, this means those of us archaic enough to believe marriage should be defined as a relationship involving a man and a woman (which happens to be the majority of the country and the majority of every state in which the issue has ever been voted on) are motivated solely, exclusively, and entirely by our hatred of people who don’t look, think and act just like us.

In total, thirty-one state’s have constitutional amendments defining marriage as between one-man and one-woman.  This decision not only denies California the ability to define the institution of marriage as they see fit, but threatens to do so for the rest of the country as well.

This story is just beginning.  There will be appeals and it will be years before the issue has been resolved–probably by the United States Supreme Court.  Still, this decision raises the persistent question of whether America is run with the consent of the governed.  

Regardless, today is not a day to despair or be hopeless. We are the land of the possible.  Decisions like this are frustrating, but they should not lead to despair. Truth cannot be defeated, because it is true.  Therefore, despite the number of people around you fawning over the emperor’s clothes, trust your eyes.  

But don’t just know you are right, act like it. Do something in support of what you know to be true.  Don’t complain about a world gone mad.  The world is what we make of it.  There is a ballot in your mailbox.  Fill it out. Judges are being elected.  By now we should all realize judges are kind of a big deal. Find a cause and support it.      

In the world’s of the immortal American philosopher Michael Jackson, “if you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change.”

As always, be respectful, but please be heard.

Joseph Backholm

Executive Director, Family Policy Institute of Washington

Family Policy Institute of Washington  

Seattle  16108 Ash Way, Suite 111 A | Lynnwood, WA 98087

| P 425-608-0242  | F 425-608-7216

www.fpiw.org