California Supreme Court justices shot down a petition from a San Diego County clerk and said that yes, the man must grant licenses to gay couples who wish to marry, despite existing state law.
The California Constitution still defines marriage as between a man and woman, yet state officials — reacting to recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage — have ordered the granting of marriage licenses to gay couples.
Clerk Ernest Dronenburg asked the court to intercede and put a halt to the state demand, arguing that Proposition 8, the state measure that defines marriage as between a man and a woman, is still the law of the land, United Press International reported. His lawyers also said he was in “a quandary” over the conflicting legal questions, UPI said.
But the justices denied his argument, 6-0, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. This is the second time in just a few days the court has rejected that line of argument. Proposition 8 sponsors asked the court last week to put a stop to marriage licenses for gays, given the state law that still stands.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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