Just in case anyone hasn't read it yet, the Obama administration released a brief Thursday urging the Supreme Court to overturn Prop 8. The argument is that Prop 8 violates Constitutionally protected legal equality because though California allows same-sex couples many of the same rights as heterosexual couples, it does not allow them to get married. If the Court follows the same line of reasoning, gay marriage would become legal in the 8 states that currently allow civil unions (California, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Rhode Island), but the remainder of states would be unaffected. You can read about the brief at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/samesexmarriage/ci_22691210/president-obama-calls-u-s-supreme-court-strike
Obviously, this is a huge step for the administration and the US government in general. Nonetheless, I am disappointed that Obama was unwilling to challenge states' rights to decide on gay marriage. I doubt the Court will be affected by Obama's opinion, so his statements are only important for their political and societal consequences. Given that it is his second term, I am hoping that Obama will become increasingly bold in his leadership and not so frustratingly willing to compromise. Qualifying his support of gay marriage like this seems so disgustingly political--why not go all the way and call for complete marriage equality? Let me know what you guys think!
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