California Supreme Court Rules on Gay Marriage Tomorrow

The California Supreme Court is set to rule tomorrow on whether the man-woman marriage laws violate the civil rights of gay couples.

The California Supreme Court says it plans to issue its long-awaited decision on whether to legalize same-sex marriage on Thursday.

The high court announced the pending opinion on its Web site Wednesday morning. Justices heard oral arguments in a series of cases brought by gay and lesbian couples, the city of San Francisco and two gay rights advocacy groups in early March.

The court has been asked to decide whether the state’s one man-one woman marriage laws violate the civil rights of same-sex couples.

If it rules in favor of the plaintiffs, California could become the second state after Massachusetts where gays and lesbians can legally wed.

As always, we’ll update the site when the results are in.

Update: It was just on CNN that the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriages by a vote of (I think) 4-3.

Update 2: It was a 4-3 vote. Best quote from the article:

“Our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation,” Chief Justice Ron George wrote for the court’s majority.

Tags: California, California Supreme Court, civil rights, gay marriage