Source: Religion News Service
USA, August 4, 2010: [HPI note: The relevance of this debate in American society is relevant to U.S. Hindus because it scrutinizes the separation between church and state, and might alter its boundaries. While such separation was, in principle, part of the early pillars of U.S. law, its interpretation shifts as society becomes more diverse. Religious plurality brings to light the bias particular to one religion and not shared by others.]
In a decision with enormous legal, political, and religious implications, a federal judge struck down California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker’s watershed decision marks the first time a federal judge has declared a state gay marriage ban unconstitutional. In a 138-page decision, Walker ruled that “moral and religious views” are not a “rational basis” for the state to deny same-sex couples equal marriage rights.
Walker concluded that Proposition 8, California’s voter referendum that outlawed gay marriage in 2008, violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples.
Religious groups — including the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — used their political influence and deep pockets to push for Prop 8. Mormons donated an estimated $22 million to the cause, and church headquarters were fined $5,000 by California officials for failing to declare non-monetary contributions.
A recent poll sponsored by advocates for gay equality suggests public opinion in California has shifted in favor of allowing same-sex couples to wed.