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"President Bush has always believed marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman. Today's decision by the California Supreme Court illustrates that a federal constitutional amendment is the best way for the people to decide what marriage means." -White House Press Secretary Dana Perino
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"I respect the court's decision and as governor, I will uphold its ruling." -California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
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"What an outrage. It will be up to the people of California to preserve traditional marriage by passing a constitutional amendment. ... Only then can they protect themselves from this latest example of judicial tyranny." -James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family
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"Essentially, this boils down to love. We love each other. We now have equal rights under the law... We're going to get married. No Tupperware, please." -Robin Tyler, a plaintiff in the case along with her partner, Diane Olson
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"This is what the California Supreme Court has said: Children have a new role model - homosexual marriage, aspire to it. This is a disaster." -Randy Thomasson of VoteYesMarriage.com, a campaign to amend the California Constitution to ban gay marriage
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"Because the California Supreme Court is looked to by other states as a leader in family law, we hope and expect that this decision will be persuasive and influential in other states throughout this nation." -Gloria Allred, lawyer for two Southern California plaintiffs in the case
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"Today's decision of California's high court opens the door for policymakers to deconstruct traditional marriage and create another institution under the guise of equal protection." -Ned Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference
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"I welcome the California Supreme Court's historic decision. I have long fought against discrimination and believe that the state constitution provides for equal treatment for all of California's citizens and families, which today's decision recognizes." -House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco
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"I intend to marry as many people as I can." -Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
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"This ruling is a conservative one. The justices have ensured that the law treats all Californians fairly and equally. This decision is a good one for all families, gay and non-gay." -James Vaughn, director of the California Log Cabin Republicans
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"I think this decision will go down in history as one of the best decisions the California Court has ever issued." - Jon Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal who helped argue the case before the Supreme Court
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"Today the California Supreme Court took a giant leap to ensure that everybody - not just in the state of California, but throughout the country - will have equal treatment under the law." - San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who helped argue the case before the Supreme Court
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"This is not something other churches should be frightened by. ... This does not mean any church has to marry anybody." -Rev. Troy Perry of the Metropolitan Community Churches, a plaintiff in the case
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"We won. Today is the day we've been working for - a watershed for basic fairness and human dignity. Profound social change starts in California, and does not end here. It influences the rest of the nation." -Maya Harris, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California
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"We all know that love knows no boundary. Today, in the great state of California, neither does fairness and opportunity." -Lorri Jean, chief executive of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center
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"We only strengthen our society when we allow all our citizens to enter into a solemn commitment to share in life's joys and difficulties." -Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts, the first U.S. state to legalize gay marriage
- Report from Nannette Miranda
- Slideshow of the celebrations
- Complete text of Calif. Supreme Court decision (PDF)
- U.S. Map showing marriage legislation
- Legal developments in same-sex marriage
