Here’s the order (thanks to How Appealing for the pointer):
Respondent is ordered to show cause before this court, when the matter is called at the late May 2004 or June 2004 calendar, why a writ of mandate should not issue, directing respondent to apply and abide by the provisions of Family Code sections 300, 301, 308.5, and 355 in the absence of a judicial determination that these statutory provisions are unconstitutional. Pending this court’s determination of this matter or further order of this court, respondent is directed to enforce and apply the provisions of Family Code sections 300, 301, 308.5, and 355 without regard to respondent’s personal view of the constitutionality of such provisions, and to refrain from issuing marriage licenses or certificates not authorized by such provisions. In addition, pending this court’s determination of this matter or further order of this court, all proceedings in Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund v. City and County of San Francisco et al. (San Francisco Super. Ct. No. CPF-04-503943) and Thomasson et al. v. Newsom et al., (San Francisco Super. Ct. No. CGC-04-428794) are stayed. This stay does not preclude the filing of a separate action in superior court raising a substantive constitutional challenge to the current marriage statutes.
The return in this matter, limited to the legal question whether respondent is exceeding or acting outside the scope of her authority in refusing to enforce the provisions of Family Code sections 300, 301, 308.5, and 355 in the absence of a judicial determination that such provisions are unconstitutional, is to be filed by respondent in the San Francisco Office of the Supreme Court on or before Thursday, March 18, 2004. In addressing the foregoing issue, the return should discuss not only the applicability and effect of article III, section 3.5 of the California Constitution, but any other constitutional or statutory provision or doctrine that may be relevant to the resolution of the foregoing issue.
A reply may be filed by petitioners in the San Francisco Office of the Supreme Court on or before Thursday, March 25, 2004.
Any application to file an amicus curiae brief, accompanied by the proposed brief, may be filed in the San Francisco Office of the Supreme Court on or before Thursday, March 25, 2004.
Any reply to an amicus curiae brief may be filed in the San Francisco Office of the Supreme Court on or before Monday, March 29, 2004.
Votes: George, CJ., Kennard, Baxter, Werdegar, Chin, Brown and Moreno, JJ.
Looks like they are indeed interested in the question whether San Francisco government officials are an “administrative agency,” covered by article 3, section 3.5 of the California Constitution:
An administrative agency, including an administrative agency created by the Constitution or an initiative statute, has no power:
(a) To declare a statute unenforceable, or refuse to enforce a statute, on the basis of it being unconstitutional unless an appellate court has made a determination that such statute is unconstitutional;
(b) To declare a statute unconstitutional;
(c) To declare a statute unenforceable, or to refuse to enforce a statute on the basis that federal law or federal regulations prohibit the enforcement of such statute unless an appellate court has made a determination that the enforcement of such statute is prohibited by federal law or federal regulations.
I tend to think that they aren’t an administrative agency, but we’ll see what the Justices have to say.
I also assume that when the California Supreme Court says that the documents should discuss “any other constitutional or statutory provision or doctrine that may be relevant to the resolution of the foregoing issue,” this means that the Justices are prepared to hear the Mayor’s substantive constitutional argument about why the California Constitution mandates allowing same-sex marriages, since a resolution of this argument would probably make moot the article III, section 3.5 objection. This doesn’t mean that the court will necessarily resolve the substantive issue, but as I read the order, it doesn’t preclude such a resolution, either. (I assume that if the California Supreme Court concludes that the mayor was substantively right but procedurally wrong, it wouldn’t retroactively invalidate the marriages.)
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