Supporters of Proposition 8 have filed an official notice of appeal of Wednesday’s ruling by a federal judge in San Francisco that struck down California’s ban on same-sex marriage.
The notice of appeal was filed by the initiative’s sponsors minutes after U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker issued the ruling Wednesday. It was posted on the court’s electronic docket today.
The appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco could take months.
Walker, ruling in a lawsuit filed by two same-sex couples, said the voter-approved initiative violated the U. S. Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection.
Walker suspended the ruling at least until Friday, while he considers whether to grant a long-term stay during the appeal.
Late Wednesday, Charles Cooper, the chief lawyer for Proposition 8, issued a statement saying Walker’s ruling “sweeps away…the historical understanding of marriage.”
