Edited sentence: " On May 26, 2009, the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, preventing future same-sex marriages in California.A UCLA study estimated that 18,000 same-sex couples married between then and early November, 2008.As of June 17, 2008, marriages between individuals of the same sex were considered valid and recognized in the state of California.Federal legal challenges persist.However, the court also decided that the 18,000 same-sex marriages already performed remain valid.It also held that individuals of the same sex have the right to marry under the California Constitution.On June 4, 2008, the California Supreme Court denied a petition to stay its In re Marriage Cases order pending the upcoming vote on Proposition 8.On May 15, 2008 the California Supreme Court, by a vote of 4–3 In re Marriage Cases, ruled that the statute enacted by Proposition 22 and other statutes that limit marriage to a relationship between a man and a woman violated the equal protection clause of the California Constitution.On November 4, 2008  Proposition 8, an  amendment to the  California State Constitution eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry passed 52.3% to 47.7%.The text of Proposition 8, which took effect on November 5, 2008, states: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California