“California joins Massachusetts as the second state to legalize gay marriage following a decision Thursday by the state’s highest court. Ruling 4 to3, the court found marriage to be a ‘fundamental constitutional right,’ and to deny that right to same-sex couples would require a compelling government interest. The Republican-dominated court said the state had failed to show such an interest. Unlike in Massachusetts, nothing prevents out-of-state same-sex couples from coming to California to get married. ‘The invitation is going to be a kind of come one, come all, and that’s going to produce a large number of [gay] marriages,’ says Douglas Kmiec, law professor at Pepperdine University. ‘They will then return to their home communities and will insist the states recognize their marriages as valid.’ The decision also sets up political confrontations at the ballot box in November, at the state level and possibly within the presidential contest.” (05/16/08)