Do California voters have the power to "overrule" the California Supreme Court on their own historic decision last May legalizing gay marriage?
Thursday, March 5, 2009, CA's Supreme Court will consider challenges to Proposition 8, the initiative approved by voters (by a slim margin) to re-amend the state constitution, defining marriage as between one man and one woman. The justices hearing this challenge are the very same justices who declared that gays and lesbians had a "constitutional right to marry" almost 10 months ago.
So, this time the issue is a bit different: it isn't whether disallowing gays the right to marry is discriminatory. They already heard that case. They decided is was discriminatory. This time it's: can a majority of voters simply eliminate minority rights, specifically gay marriage, that the court has recognized?
The ruling is due in 90 days.
Thursday, March 5, 2009, CA's Supreme Court will consider challenges to Proposition 8, the initiative approved by voters (by a slim margin) to re-amend the state constitution, defining marriage as between one man and one woman. The justices hearing this challenge are the very same justices who declared that gays and lesbians had a "constitutional right to marry" almost 10 months ago.
So, this time the issue is a bit different: it isn't whether disallowing gays the right to marry is discriminatory. They already heard that case. They decided is was discriminatory. This time it's: can a majority of voters simply eliminate minority rights, specifically gay marriage, that the court has recognized?
The ruling is due in 90 days.