When did california legalize gay marriage?

Same-sex marriage is legal in the U.S. state of California, and first became so on June 16, 2008, when the state began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples as the result of the Supreme Court of California ruling in In re Marriage Cases, which found that barring same-sex couples from marriage violated the state's Constitution. read more

In June 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional on the basis of equal protection in In re Marriage Cases. For the brief period from June 2008 until November 2008, California was allowing same-sex marriages. read more

California's ban on gay marriage, which was based on a law passed in 1977 and a statewide initiative in 2000, had limited a formal marriage to a man and a woman. Today's ruling deemed those laws unconstitutional because they violated the California state constitution protecting equality and fundamental rights. read more