Judge Strikes Down Same-Sex Marriage Ban

When a judge struck down California's ban on same-sex marriage Wednesday, he handed gay rights advocates a historic and invigorating victory, but also a temporary one in a long fight that may be heading toward a showdown at the U.S Supreme Court. Even as Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's toppling of Proposition 8 set off hours of celebration in some quarters - with many gays and lesbians seeing the ruling as not just a validation of marriage rights, but of their lives in general - opponents planned to seek a reversal at the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
--San Francisco Chronicle