By Kati Dann

With the recent election came the passing of new laws and the turning over of old ones. One highly controversial topic has been regarding Proposition 8 in California, which provided that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California”.

The law was passed by voters in 2008 in the state of California, which had legalized gay marriage in the past. The proposition was then ruled unconstitutional by lower courts and has made it all the way to the Supreme Court for a final decision. While the law originated in California, the Supreme Court’s final decisions will have repercussions throughout the country.

One confusing aspect of the debacle is how gay marriage was legalized in California by Congress, but voters were able to, in a way, overrule the legalization and pass their own proposition.

AP US Government teacher Marty Moon argues that “if we’re truly a democracy, then we are of the people. The people put Congress where they are, the people should also be able to overrule them”.

The matter is in the Supreme Court’s hands now, and a final decision is projected to be reached in late June 2013.