It's been a week since Proposition 8 was overturned, and today, chief judge of the Federal District Court in San Francisco, Vaughan Walker, lifted his temporary stay on ceremonies, opening the door for gay couples to get married in California after Wednesday, August 18.

Photo by Ted Soqui.

"The evidence presented at trial and the position of the representatives of the State of California show that an injunction against enforcement of Proposition 8 is in the public's interest," judge Walker told the New York Times. "Accordingly, the court concludes that the public interest counsels against entry of the stay proponents seek."

Both Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown had asked the court to lift the stay.

"Doing so is consistent with California's long history of treating all people and their relationships with equal dignity and respect," said a brief from Schwarzenegger's lawyers filed last Friday.