SAN FRANCISCO, August 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The California Supreme Court nullified Thursday all marriages performed by San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom earlier this year, ruling that he contravened his authority by issuing the licenses.
The judges decided 5-2 that the San Francisco mayor violated state law, and California’s Proposition 22—a 2000 referendum vote that was overwhelmingly in favor of preserving the traditional definition of marriage in the state. Newsom issued almost 4,000 licenses to same-sex couples between February 12 and March 11.
Justice Joyce Kennard wrote in her decision that the constitutionality of same-sex marriage for California has yet to be decided by the courts. Today’s decision focused on whether a municipal official has the authority to override state law, versus the constitutionality of California’s marriage laws. Tv