Gay marriage ban lifted

The California Supreme Court's landmark ruling striking down a state ban on same-sex marriage now opens the way to a summer of gay and lesbian weddings in the Golden State and a new political fight leading into the fall's presidential campaign, supporters of the decision said Thursday.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

The court's 4-3 decision - making California the second state in the nation, after Massachusetts, to give same-sex couples the right to marry - ruled that two state laws limiting marriage to a union between a man and a woman are unconstitutional.

But even while celebrating the decision Thursday, gay-rights advocates and supporters said they are bracing for a possible November ballot initiative from a coalition of religious and social conservative groups attempting to enact a ban on same-sex marriages in the state constitution.