1977: State Legislature makes one man one women the legal law of the land in California.

2000: Prop 22, nicknamed the Knight Initiative, is passed (61.4% to 38%), making an additional change in the law where only 1 man and 1 women can be married in California. Before hand same sex marriage was still illegal in California but the Knight Initiative changed some of the language of the law. In California initiatives that change laws are equal in power to laws passed by the legislature, referendums that change the state constitution on the other hand are superior to the legislature power (this distinction will be important later).

Feb 12 to March 11, 2004: Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco issued 4,000 marriage licenses to same sex marriage, even though this was against the law due to Prop 22

Feb 2004: Groups against same sex marriage filed lawsuits trying to stop Mayor Gavin Newsom. At the same time groups for same sex marriage filed to overturn Prop 22.

August 22, 2004: State Supreme Court said those marriages were void since the mayor doesn’t have the authority to bypass state law

March 14, 2005: State Trial Court. Judge Kramer ruled Prop 22 was unconstitutional since there was no rational basis forbidding same sex marriage and no legitimate state interest making marriage discriminate based on gender (forcing only opposite sex marriages.) That said the appellate court blocked the effects of the decision till they could make their decision.

2005-2006: Bills are authored in the legislature trying to resend Prop 22

Sept 2, 2005: California Senate (21 to 15) passed Assembly Bill 19

Sept 6, 2005: California State Assembly (41 to 35) passed Assembly Bill 19

Sept 7, 2005: Then State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would veto the bill citing Prop 22 being the will of the people. While both houses of California congress have passed the bill they used a procedural maneuver to not deliver the bill to the governor for 2 weeks during that time gay groups lobbied the governor to change his mind. The bills was delivered on Sept 23 and vetoed on Sept 29.

Oct 5, 2006: State Appellate Court in a 3 judge panel (2 to 1) overturned the trial court Judge Krammer, the Apellate Court stating that Prop 22 is constitutional

A similar bill to Assembly Bill 19 was submitted a year later as Assembly Bill 43 (they hoped the governor changed his mind). It was passed by the two houses of congress on Dec 4, 2006. The governor delayed addressing signing/vetoing the bill for 10 months, 2 days before he was legally had to address the bill he vetoed it.

Early 2008: Petitions are circulated to block Same Sex Marriage rights into the State Constitution. The petition #07-0068 (which becomes prop 8) gains enough signatures to be part of the November 4, 2008 ballot. This is prior to the state supreme court case. If Same Sex Marriage is added to the constitution via a referendum than the legislature can’t change the law.

May 15, 2008: State Supreme Court in a (4-3) decision states the 1977 law and the Prop 22 (2000) are unconstitutional according to the state constitution.

June 16, 2008. Same Sex Marriage is now legal since the May 15, 2008 decision is now in effect.

July 16, 2008: Same Sex Marriage advocates try to block Prop 8 from going on the ballot in Nov. the State Supreme court allows the possible referendum to continue.

Nov 4, 2008: Prop 8 wins support where the state of california (52.5% vs 47.5%) voted and made Same Sex marriage illegal and part of the state constitution.

May 26, 2009: State Supreme Court states Prop 8 was a valid refrendrum, past marriages though would remain in effect (June 16, 2008 to Nov 4, 2008).

January 10, 2010: Same Sex Marriage supporters filed in US District Court seeking to overturn Prop 8 using the 14th amendment

August 4, 2010: (US) Federal District Court, Judge Walker in the court case Perry v. Schwarzenegger overturns Prop 8, stating that Prop 8 violates several parts of the consitution, the effect of his decision is stayed by the Appeals Court.

February 7, 2012 (Today), (US) Federal Appeals Court, 9th Circuit, upholds the decision of the Federal District Court and ruled that Proposition 8 violated the U.S. Constitution.