Sixty-one percent of California’s voters approved the proposal in 2000 which stated “only marriage between a man and women is valid and recognized in California.”

As the nation’s most populous state, California just might have set precedent for other states. California’s decision to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage took eight years.

As in the case of any heated topic, it might take years before same-sex marriage sees any progress in other states, but the possibility that other supreme courts might follow suit is likely.

The fact that the California Supreme Court overturned the voter-approved ban on gay marriage speaks volumes about the faith the courts have in the people. There are probably voters in favor of the ban who feel as if their vote was worthless. And although it seems wrong that the court overturned their decision, it might have been with good reason.

Most people today would agree that discriminating against people because of their race or gender is wrong.

But 50 or 60 years ago, the response might have been different. Maybe the Supreme Court justices voted to overturn the ban based on the assumption that decades from now people will think differently about same-sex marriage. It has been eight years since this ban took effect, which means another generation of voters has emerged. If a revote were to take place today, the outcome might be different.

Even if that weren’t the case, maybe since the ban has been struck down people will be more open-minded to the idea of same-sex marriage.

Just because the court overturned the peoples’ decision doesn’t mean they were wrong for doing so.

The four justices that voted in favor of overturning the ban realized that gay couples are essentially in the same type of relationships as heterosexual couples and shouldn’t be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

The question of whether same-sex marriage should be legal has and will be an issue for years to come, but the California Supreme Court might have taken the first step to answering this question. The court’s decision is a reminder that people shouldn’t be discriminated against because of their race, sex, religion or — in the case of same-sex marriage — who they love.