Ninth Circuit Opens Door For Same-Sex Marriages To Begin

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted a stay on a Proposition 8 ruling, allowing same-sex couples to get married, effective immediately.

The Supreme Court ruled the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge a federal court's ruling overturning the voter measure.

The Sacramento County Clerk's Office has said it will be issued until at least 7 p.m. tonight, two hours later than usual.

Proposition 8 was passed in 2008 with 52.30 percent of California voters approving the ban on same-sex marriage.

The proposition was unsuccessfully challenged in front of the California Supreme Court in 2009, paving the way for another challenge in 2010 in federal court known as Perry v Schwarzenegger.

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker overturned the proposition in August of that year, citing the Due Process clause.

The case wound its way to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in February 2012, where the proposition was again ruled unconstitutional.

A petition to the Supreme Court was filed in July 2012 and it was granted in December. Oral arguments were heard before the Supreme Court in March.