U.S. Supreme Court grants cert to decide whether California’s Prop 8 is constitutional

In case you haven’t heard, the U.S. Supreme Court today granted certiorari to decide whether California’s Proposition 8, banning gay marriage in California, is constitutional. You will recall that the California Supreme Court ruled the backers of Prop 8 have standing to defend the measure, and then the Ninth Circuit went on to hold the measure unconstitutional, as we discussed here. The Court also granted cert in a case challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition to legal same-sex marriages. It will hear arguments in the spring, with a decision by June.