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A Superior Court judge in Washington D.C. ruled Thursday that same-sex marriage opponents do not have a right to hold a public referendum on whether those marriages should be legal. The ruling makes it more probable that the District will start to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in March.
A Superior Court judge in Washington D.C. ruled Thursday that same-sex marriage opponents do not have a right to hold a public referendum on whether those marriages should be legal in the District.
The LA Times reported that a judge has thrown out a lawsuit by opponents against the city's elections board. The measure would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The board ruled it violated the city's Human Rights Act.
The ruling makes it more probable that the District will start to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in March.
Plaintiffs led by a Maryland pastor, Bishop Harry Jackson, sued after the Board of Elections and Ethics refused to put their initiative on the ballot.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith N. Macaluso ruled in favor of the city stating that the board "properly rejected the proposed initiative." She said the board's action was justified because the initiative would in effect authorize discrimination.
D.C. passed a bill in December that would allow same-sex couples to wed. Because the city is a federal district, the law is pending a period of review by Congress.
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