Federal appeals court declares California gay marriage ban unconstitutional

Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this morning.

The three-judge panel came to a 2-to-1 vote on the ban on same-sex marriage, finding the proposition violated the 14th Amendment.

The ruling comes almost four years after California voters passed the ban in August 2008. Tuesday’s decision parallels a similar ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker in August 2010.

Walker ruled the measure discriminated on grounds of sexual orientation and gender and that allowing same-sex couples to marry would not harm the institution of marriage.

Read the court document of today’s ruling here.

Compiled by Naheed Rajwani and Loic Hostetter, Bruin senior staff.