SAN FRANCISCO (RNN) - The cultural war over the definition of marriage reached another milestone Tuesday, as a federal court of appeals ruled California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. In a 2-1 ruling, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found Proposition 8, the voter initiative which defined marriage in California as a union between a man and a woman in 2008, to be in violation of the 14th Amendment. "Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples," the ruling said. "The Constitution simply does not allow for 'laws of this sort.'"
Marriage equality advocates are hailing a federal appeals court's declaration of California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional as a historic moment -- but others are offering less praise for the decision. As Towleroad is pointing out, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney offered no comment on the Prop 8 decision. “I don’t have a comment on litigation in general and in this litigation to which we are not a party," he said. "Beyond that, I can say that the President has long opposed, as you know, divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples."