technicality. the legislature rushed to vote but not in time to beat the midnight deadline. the crowd that had been there to support her all day saved their biggest cheers for last. [ cheers and applause ] good day. i am andrea mitchell in washington where the supreme court has now ruled that same sex couples cannot be denied the right to marry according to the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law. it s that simple. the court punted on california s prop 8. that, in effect, let a lower court ruling stand and opened the door to the resumption of same-sex marriages in california. the twin victories led to celebrations from the steps of the supreme court where washington s gay men s chorus sang the national anthem, to greenwich village, to towns and burrows around the nations.