One person's "judicial activism" is another's "wisdom." NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Supreme Court decisions wiping out part of a federal anti-gay marriage law and clearing the way for resumption of gay marriage in California were celebrated by gay rights activists in Louisiana.
SarahJane Brady, director of the Forum For Equality in New Orleans, acknowledged that the decision doesn't legalize gay marriage in Louisiana. Still, she called the action "a massive victory."
The organization planned a celebration Wednesday in the French Quarter. Spokesman John Hill said members would meet with lawyers to determine how the action will affect Louisiana same-sex couples who wed in states where gay marriage is legal.
Rep. Steve Scalise, author of the Louisiana Constitution's gay marriage ban is harshly critical of the decision affecting the federal Defense of Marriage Act, calling it "a low point in judicial activism."