Rep. Nancy Pelosi

“Today’s decision is a victory for civil rights and for progress for the LGBT community and for all Californians. By declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional, the Ninth Circuit made a strong statement that laws must not target the LGBT community for discrimination and all of our state’s families deserve to enjoy fair and equal treatment under the law.”
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Rep. Jared Polis

“No law that denies any American the right to marry the person that they love can be called constitutional, moral or just. Today’s decision by the 9th Circuit is a victory for the cause of justice and the ideal that we are all created equal and are all equal before the law.”
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CA Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom

“There is no state power or law that can claim one type of love is more deserving of status and benefits than another. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has fulfilled its obligation to all Americans by protecting the fundamental right of all people to marry those whom they love.”
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CA Attorney General Kamala Harris

“Today’s ruling is a victory for fairness, a victory for equality and a victory for justice… By striking this unconstitutional law from our books, the court has restored dignity, equality and respect to all Californians.”
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Rep. Mark Leno

“Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, reiterating the California Supreme Court’s 1948 comment in ending the ban on interracial marriage that marriage is a ‘fundamental right of all citizens,’ upheld what we have long held to be true and just—that no loving couple shall be denied the opportunity to marry in California.”
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NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman

“Today’s decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirming the unconstitutionality of Proposition 8 is a victory for equal justice under law. Despite the many barriers to full equality, this decision represents a major step forward for couples seeking the freedom to marry.”
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NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg

“Today, America’s march of freedom took another long stride on the path toward a more perfect union. The 9th Circuit found that government has no business denying some couples access to equal protection under the law – and that is only right, because the freedom to marry is not a benefit conferred by government, but the birthright of every American.”
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Robert Levy, Cato Institute

“The specific issue the court decided was whether the label ‘marriage’ could attach to heterosexual but not homosexual partnerships. Quite properly, the court ruled that it could not. ”
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John Podesta, Center for American Progress

“With state legislatures in Maryland, Washington, and New Jersey currently debating marriage for gay couples, this ruling comes at a critical time. As Americans, we are constantly searching for a more perfect union where equality and fairness triumph over inequality and discrimination, and in that spirit we celebrate in the 9th Circuit’s decision today.”
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Jennifer Chrisler, Family Equality Council

“Today’s decision heartens and gives hope to the 15,698 loving couples in California who are raising more than 30,000 children…They, like all Americans, understand that while love makes a family, there is no denying that marriage strengthens it.”
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Jody M. Huckaby, PFLAG

“We are overjoyed by the ruling in California as a victory for all families…All families matter and should be recognized and respected; today’s ruling brings us one step closer to that reality.”
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Aubrey Sarvis, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

“SLDN welcomes today’s important ruling by the Ninth Circuit affirming the lower court decision that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional; indeed, fairness and equality have carried the day. This is an historic win for supporters of full equality in the military and in our country.”
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