The Supreme Court on Tueasday rejected
an appeal from gay marriage foes hoping to put the District of
Columbia's gay marriage law up for a vote, the AP reported.
Bishop Harry Jackson, a minister at the
Hope Christian Church in Belstville, Maryland, had challenged a D.C.
Board of Elections and Ethics ruling that kept the question of gay
marriage off the ballot.
The board had consistently ruled that
such a measure would violate the city's Human Rights Act (HRA) that
prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. In rejecting
the referendum, the board said it would, if approved, authorize
“discrimination in contravention of the HRA.”
Opponents had argued that the board
overstepped its authority and that the citizens should have final say
on such matters.
Jackson and his supporters took their
case to the Supreme Court after the D.C. Court of Appeals said that
the board was within the law in making such a decision. Jackson said
the court's split decision (5 to 4) gave him reason to hope.
The Supreme Court did not comment in
turning away the challenge.