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"I was pleased and gratified to learn today of Chief Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling on California's Proposition 8 in Perry v. Schwarzenegger. This ruling affirms that the denial of the right to marry a partner of one's choosing, whether of the same or a different sex, is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution. I congratulate attorneys David Boies and Theodore Olson for their courage in taking on this case, and their diligence in seeing it through. I know that there is a long road ahead in the legal proceedings, but whatever the outcome I believe that the bedrock American principle of equal protection under the law must mean equal rights for gay and lesbians, and that such equal rights must include the fundamental right to marry. Today's decision is one important step in a long struggle, and that struggle must continue until equality is achieved. Whether it be through the co! urts or via the political process, I know in my heart that those rights will one day be vindicated, in New York State and throughout our nation."
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