A gay couple waits to renew their wedding vows during a rally against California's controversial Proposition 8 in Los Angeles on March 4, 2009. The rally, organized on the eve of the opening of the case going before the California Supreme Court, was held in support of overturning the recently-passed proposition which banned gay marriage in the state. (UPI Photo/David Silpa) | License Photo

Iran Larios joins protesters donned in a wedding dress during a rally in front of the County Marriage License Office in Los Angeles on May 26, 2009, after the California Supreme Court ruling to uphold Proposition 8. Gay and lesbian activists had been seeking to overturn the results of the November referendum which redefined marriage in California as being unions between men and women only. UPI/Jim Ruymen | License Photo

A gay couple renews their marriage vows during a rally against California's controversial Proposition 8 in Los Angeles on March 4, 2009. The rally, organized on the eve of the opening of the case going before the California Supreme Court, was held in support of overturning the recently-passed proposition which banned gay marriage in the state. UPI/David Silpa | License Photo

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The judge hearing the legal challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriage said Tuesday he is ready to issue a ruling.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said in an online posting he would announce a ruling Wednesday in the lawsuit challenging Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that reversed a California Supreme Court ruling that laws against same-sex marriage violated the state constitution.


Plaintiffs in the lawsuit assert Proposition 8 violates equal protection and due process rights under the U.S. Constitution.

The trial featured extensive testimony about the history of the institution of marriage and the nature of homosexuality, as well as the political influence of gays and lesbians. Most testimony supported same-sex marriage rights, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Charles Cooper, representing supporters of Proposition 8, argued the "marital relationship is fundamental to the existence and survival of the race."

"Without the marital relationship society would come to an end," he said.

Walker's decision will most likely be appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and is widely expected to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Times said Tuesday.