The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from opponents of same-sex marriage who want to overturn the District of Columbia’s gay marriage law. In 2010 Washington started issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples and in 2009, it started recognizing gay marriages performed elsewhere.
The court denied a challenge from Bishop Harry Jackson and supporters who are trying to get a measure on the ballot to allow Washingtonians to vote on a measure that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The pastor brought lawsuit against the district’s Board of Elections and Ethics after it refused to put that initiative on the ballot. The board ruled that the ballot question would in effect authorize discrimination.