Wednesday I had the chance to cover history... well, kind of history... when Proposition 8 was defeated. Federal Judge Vaughn Walker laid down a landmark ruling that overturned Proposition 8 in California, which banned gay marriage, because he found it unconstitutional. Walker's conclusion reads:

"Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite- sex couples are superior to same-sex couples.Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional."

As the ruling came down the newsroom flew into a frenzy. I wasn't even working, just trying to get my drive to recover, but I knew this was big and jumped in. Soon I was out the door to the Sacramento County Clerk's office chasing down leads on couples that were on their way to get married before a stay could be issued. At the clerk's office, I parked right next to the couple we were looking for as they got out of their car. We ran in together, me snapping away, and I ran into Paul Kitagaki, who was already there shooting. The clerk's office, though, refused to marry anyone until their legal counsel could review the ruling. Some couples brought the ruling (exactly what's above) with them. It seemed pretty straight forward to me, but in the delay a stay was issued and there was nothing more that could be done. Outraged at the denial of their brief right to marry, many showed frustration, some still had a small smile knowing that at least one person saw their rights as equal in Judge Walker. That night there was a rally celebrating the ruling. I ran home and fed Buster and ran back to cover it. What I thought would be heavy in conflict was the complete opposite. It was a joyous party full of dancing and singing. Where I assumed everyone would be furious and yelling for their rights to be recognized, they were ecstatic they had won the case. They all knew an appeal was coming, and probably another after that, no matter who wins, but step one of the process had gone to them. Where thousands of people, millions of people, however many, had argued they were wrong, the only person at the time that mattered, Judge Walker, said they were right. He legitimized their love and counted them as equals for a few minutes and that alone was a giant victory. View a gallery of coverage here: Prop. 8 Defeated