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The California Supreme Court overturned a ban on same-sex marriages on Thursday in a major victory for gay rights advocates. The court found that the narrow definition of marriage to between a man and a woman was at odds with the state constitution. The 4-3 ruling by the court will pave the way for gay and lesbian couples to marry in the countries most populous state. Currently Massachusetts is the only state that recognizes gay and lesbian marriages.

The case begin when several gay and lesbian couples sued to change state laws banning same-sex unions. A law passed in 1977 defined marriage as between a man and a woman. That law was upheld in a statewide referendum back in 2000. The law was challenged in 2004 when the mayor of San Francisco began issuing marriage license to gay couples.

In its decision, the court stated that state constitution guarantees same-sex couples the same rights as opposite-sex couples to choose one's life partner and enter with that person into a committed, officially recognized, and protected family relationship. The decision means that couples would be afforded the same legal and tax protections as other married couples in the state. Groups opposed to same-sex marriages plan to vote on another referendum banning the unions in November and to appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court.