Proposition 3 would make the right to same-sex marriage a part of the California Constitution. It would repeal 2008’s voter-approved Proposition 8, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. As coverage of the ballot measure has noted, it would have no immediate effect in the Golden State because of two previous U.S. Supreme Court rulings, in particular the landmark 2015 decision to allow same-sex marriage nationwide.
But it deserves voters’ because it is more than just a symbolic statement of Californians’ values. The past Supreme Court rulings came before the court had its present six-member conservative majority. In 2022, this majority overturned the 1973 ruling that found there was a constitutional right to abortions. Since then, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have made clear they hope to throw out other precedents that they disagree with — starting with the right to same-sex marriage.
This shows why making same-sex marriage part of California’s Constitution is an appropriate way for the state to prepare for a future in which some justices are eager to keep bucking tradition in ways that enforce their conservative views. Vote “yes” on Proposition 3.
