Prop. 8 Supporters Seek to Nullify Existing Gay Marriages

Anti-gay marriage supporters are seeking to nullify the thousands of same-sex marriages that were performed between the time the California state Supreme Court deemed them constitutional and when Prop. 8 passed in November.

Prop. 8’s sponsors filed responses Friday to three anti-Proposition 8 lawsuits with the state Supreme Court, defending the anti-gay marriage amendment against ‘legal challenges’ filed shortly after it passed, CNN reported.

One argument Prop. 8’s sponsors are fighting is the assertion by anti-Prop. 8 supporters that the initiative needed a constitutional convention and not just an amendment.

"We are confident that the will of the voters and Proposition 8 will ultimately be upheld," said Andrew Pugno, General Counsel for ProtectMarriage.com and the Proposition 8 Legal Defense Fund.

Prop. 8 opponents filed several suits after the election during which the anti-gay marriage amendment passed 52 percent to 48 percent. Opponents argue that the amendment cannot be applied retroactively, but proponents say the amendment is clear.

California Attorney General Edmund "Jerry" Brown has asked the court to reject the Prop. 8. "Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification," Brown wrote in a statement.

Founder and chair of the anti-Proposition 8 Courage Campaign, Rick Jacobs said he was "appalled" that the Prop. 8’s supporters would go so far as attempting to nullify same-sex marriages that are already on the books.

"The motivation behind this mean-spirited and heart-breaking action should not be allowed to be buried in legal brief," he said. "If Proposition 8's sponsors plan to destroy lives, they should at least have the courage to admit it publicly."