SF Same-Sex Marriage Verdict: Illegal

August 12, 2004: The California State Supreme Court has ruled that Mayor Newsom lacked the authority to issue the same-sex marriage licenses, and therefore that the marriages are void. Statement from Equality California, Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and ACLU of Northern California Over 3900 same-sex couples were married at SF City Hall earlier this year. However, the court did not rule on the issue of whether or not same-sex marriages should be legal. Protests were held in cities all over the state.