A judge on Thursday ruled the state's new gay marriage law is legal, despite a challenge saying voters thought they barred same-sex marriage 15 years ago in the state's Constitution. The Circuit Court judge, Karl Sakamoto, said the 1998 amendment did not force the Legislature to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The same-sex marriage law was signed Wednesday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie. State Representative Bob McDermott brought a challenge centered on language in the amendment that he said trumped lawmakers' wanting to redefine marriage. The amendment reads: ''The legislature shall have the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.'' His lawyer argued that voters were told that phrasing meant they were voting against gay marriage.
