UPDATE: see below
A judge’s same-sex relationship is no reason to toss out his ruling backing same-sex matrimony, another federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
The decision by Chief U.S. District Judge James Ware backed the prior ruling overturning California’s gay marriage ban.
District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco last year struck down California’s same-sex marriage ban, known as Proposition 8, and supporters of the ban now say his ruling was compromised and should be vacated.
Read more here.
From the Rev. Susan Russell, senior associate priest at All Saints, Pasadena, member of the SCLM Task Force on blessing rites for same sex couples, and former president of IntegrityUSA:
Prop 8 Ruling brings “liberty & justice for all” a little closer
Today’s ruling by Chief Judge James Ware rightly rejected the ridiculous effort by supporters of marriage discrimination to invalidate Judge Vaughn Walker’s Prop 8 ruling because of his sexual orientation.
“How great is it that this ruling came on Flag Day!” said the Reverend Susan Russell, a Senior Associate at All Saints Church in Pasadena and the chair of the LGBT Program Group in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. “What a perfect day to take another step toward turning ‘liberty and justice for all’ from a pledge we make to our flag a reality we live in our nation.”
“There is still much work to be done to undo the injustice of Prop 8 and to secure marriage equality for same-sex couples. But today’s ruling makes it clear that homophobia has no place in our courts and we will continue to work to make it clear it has no place in our churches.”
“What we need to build strong families is a Protect Marriage Movement that protects all marriages and a Family Values Coalition that values all families. Today’s ruling is just one step toward that goal but it is an important and encouraging one. We rejoice in it even as we look forward to the day when all married couples will have the equal protection guaranteed by our Constitution and marriage discrimination will at long last be relegated to the dustbin of history. “
(The Reverend) Susan Russell
Senior Associate
All Saints Church
132 North Euclid Avenue
Pasadena CA 91101