Federal Appeals Court Rules California’s Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

On Tuesday, a federal appeals court ruled against California’s ban on same-sex marriage. The court ruled Proposition 8 was unconstitutional and that the legislation that California voters had approved singles out gays and lesbians for discrimination.

In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the state’s Proposition 8 “works a meaningful harm to gays and lesbians” by denying their right to civil marriage in violation of the 14th Amendment. Supporters of same-sex marriages cheered the decision when it was announced outside the courthouse Tuesday morning.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, California,” one man in the crowd shouted when the decision was released.

[ via CNN.com ]

#Prop8 was in the top 10 Twitter trends on Tuesday afternoon and Ellen DeGeneres shared her enthusiasm on her Twitter account: