Sacramento, CA – The California Marriage Protection Act – also known as Proposition 8 – was handed a victory July 16 as the California Supreme Court dismissed efforts to have the initiative thrown off of the November ballot.

The highest court in California delivered a significant blow to advocates of same-sex marriage as the Court dismissed their case outright by denying their request for a hearing. The opponents of Proposition 8 recently sued both Secretary of State Debra Bowen and the California voters to prohibit the public from having the opportunity to vote on the issue this fall.

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a huge victory in the fight to protect marriage,” said Ron Prentice, chairman of the Protect Marriage initiative. “The Court’s dismissal sends a strong message that Proposition 8 continues to have the law on its side. Time and time again, the opponents have attempted to circumvent the democratic process, but the fact remains that the people of California have a right to vote on this issue.”

In 2000, more than 61% of California voters overwhelmingly supported Proposition 22 which upheld the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. This past May, activist judges in San Francisco overruled the vote of the people by overturning Proposition 22. In response, Proposition 8 has been placed on the November ballot in an effort to uphold the definition of marriage by amending California’s state constitution.