Santorum: Prop. 8 ruling hurts 'foundation of our society'

Rick Santorum issued a strongly critical statement in response to a federal appeals court's ruling that voter-approved legislation in California banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

"Today's decision by the 9th Circuit is another in a long line of radical activist rulings by this rogue circuit - and it is precisely why I have called for that circuit to be abolished and split up," Santorum said in a statement Tuesday. "Marriage is defined and has always been defined as 'one man and one woman.' We simply cannot allow 50 different definitions of marriage."

Santorum's statement came a few hours after the Federal District Court of the Northern District of California ruled that "Proposition 8," passed in 2008, banning same-sex marriage violated constitutional law.

The legislation passed by a wide margin, 52 percent to 48 percent in a heavily contested election in California. Santorum argued that the court's ruling overturns Californian's vote.

"The people of California spoke clearly at the ballot box that they wanted marriage defined in the traditional manner of one man and one woman," Santorum continued in the statement. "And for a court, any court, to usurp the power and will of the people in this manner on an issue this fundamental to the foundation of our society is wrong."

The court's decision means the case is likely to make its way to the United States Supreme Court.

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