Leading social conservatives are
praising a
federal appeals court's decision to refuse to allow gay and lesbian
weddings to resume as it considers the constitutionality of
Proposition 8, California's 2008 voter-approved gay marriage ban.
Brian Brown, president of the National
Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's most vociferous
opponent of gay marriage, congratulated lawyers for the plaintiffs on
their loss.
“This is good news for the people of
California – and congratulations to the Dream Team of David Boies
and Ted Olson for continuing their impressive streak of losses in
actions not in Judge Walker's courtroom,” Brown said.
Proposition 8 overturned the California
Supreme Court's 2008 ruling legalizing gay marriage in the state.
NOM and its supporters campaigned heavily for passage of the
constitutional amendment. The group also played a pivotal role in
repealing a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers in Maine.
In praising the ruling, Tony Perkins,
president of the socially conservative group the Family Research
Council, took a swipe at President Barack Obama for his recent
decision
to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a law
which bans federal recognition of the legal marriages of gay and
lesbian couples.
The court's decision “shows that,
unlike the current administration, it respect the rule of law,”
Perkins said in a statement.
“Ultimately, we are confident that
the courts will recognize marriage, as correctly defined, has never
violated any constitutional provision,” he added.