Free at last
by David Atkins
The arc bends:
Same-sex marriages in California resumed Friday when a federal appeals court lifted a hold on a 2010 injunction, sparking jubilation among gays and accusations of lawlessness from the supporters of Proposition 8.
In a surprise action, a federal appeals court cleared the way, bypassing a normal waiting period and lifting a hold on a trial judge’s order that declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional.
The news came in a single, legalistic sentence Friday afternoon from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“The stay in the above matter is dissolved immediately,” a three-judge panel wrote.
Gov. Jerry Brown told county clerks they could begin marrying same-sex couples immediately, launching plans for ceremonies up and down the state. The two same-sex couples who filed the federal lawsuit against Proposition 8 headed to the city halls in Los Angeles and San Francisco to tie the knot, ending their long fight to become legal spouses.
The first wedding, in San Francisco, began at 4:45 p.m. At 4:10 p.m., a cheer went up in the San Francisco City Hall rotunda. Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, made their way from the city clerk’s office, where they got their marriage license, to the marble steps of City Hall, stopping for photographs.
This fight isn’t over yet. But let no one say that we don’t tend to make progress as a species, slowly but surely. And let no one say that it doesn’t matter which political party holds power. Because it definitely does.
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