Gay marriage ruling secures chief justice's legacy

SAN FRANCISCO—California Chief Justice Ronald George has spent more than half his life in a black robe carefully cultivating an image of a cautious jurist and earning a reputation as a politically skilled court administrator.

But his unlikely legacy as gay rights pioneer was sealed at 10 a.m. on May 15, when he heard the roar of a festive crowd gathered below his office as his majority decision legalizing same-sex marriage was announced.

Now, the law-and-order supporter of capital punishment is enduring from gay marriage foes the very complaints of "judicial activism" he has worked so hard to avoid during his 17 years on the high court and 34 years as a California judge.

He will likely have to mount an aggressive and expensive campaign to retain his seat in the 2009 election.

Gay marriage ruling secures chief justice's legacy
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA