“Judicial Coup:” Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Prop. 8

San Francisco, CA – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today issued a major ruling declaring California’s Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

More than 7 million Californians voted for Prop. 8 in 2008, many of them at the same time supporting Barack Obama for President. The court nevertheless derided the voters as being impermissibly motivated by bigotry as they reaffirmed that marriage is between a man and a woman. The court read the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was adopted to protect former slaves after the Civil War, as prohibiting traditional heterosexual definitions of marriage.

“This could prove to be a pivotal moment in American history,” said Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute. “The courts have declared that the voters are too ignorant and intolerant to be trusted with fundamental moral values, and only the judiciarchy can ultimately decide what is best for us. Is America going to stand for this judicial coup? The answer may determine whether we still have a true democracy in this country.”

Today’s decision makes it more likely than ever that the U.S. Supreme Court will take on the explosive issue later this year and decide it by next summer. That time frame also makes it likely, Dacus believes, that same-sex marriage will become a hot topic in this year’s presidential election.