The hotly anticipated opinion on three cases challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8 — Strauss vs. Horton, S168047; Tyler vs. State of California, S168066; and City and County of San Francisco vs. Horton, S168078 — was published minutes ago on the court's official website, per multiple media sources.
The justices initially overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage on May 15, 2008, and elected not to stay its decision until after the November 2008 elections. During the period in which same-sex marriage was legal, some 18,000 couples were issued California state marriage licenses.
However, the passage of Proposition 8 on Election Day, Nov. 4, altered the state's constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. Three cases challenging the ballot proposition's constitutionality were filed and the justices heard arguments in March.
