The Governator Will Not Defend Prop 8 in Court

(From the Los Angeles Times) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declined to defend the constitutionality of Proposition 8, telling a San Francisco judge that the legality of the anti-gay marriage measure is for the courts to decide.

The governor's decision to remain neutral in a federal challenge to Proposition 8 means no statewide official will be defending the measure in federal court.

Proposition 8 resurrected a ban on same-sex marriage, receiving 52% of the vote in the November election. The California Supreme Court ruled 6-1 last month that the measure did not violate the state constitution.

Supporters of the measure said Wednesday they were disappointed but not surprised by the governor's stance.

Ron Prentice, chairman of the ProtectMarriage.Com Coalition, said the group was "fairly consistently disappointed with the governor's response to the will of the people in the case of marriage."