Court kills 4,000 gay marriages
By AP
Fri, August 13, 2004
THE CALIFORNIA Supreme Court voided nearly 4,000 same-sex marriages sanctioned by San Francisco this year, ruling yesterday that the city's mayor overstepped his authority by issuing the couples licences. The court said the city violated the law when it issued the certificates and performed the marriage ceremonies in a month-long blitz that began Feb. 12. It said both legislation and a voter-approved measure defined marriage as a union between a man and woman.
The court, however, did not resolve whether the state constitution would permit a same-sex marriage, ruling instead on the narrow issue of whether local officials could bypass California's judicial and legislative branches.