The Hawaii Supreme Court has dismissed a legal challenge led by State Rep. Bob McDermott to the state’s Marriage Equality Act. 

Ruling that McDermott and other plaintiffs were not harmed or injured by the 2013 law, Supreme Court justices said they had no standing to challenge the law, according to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office..

 “The most important part of the Supreme Court’s ruling was its conclusion that the Legislature’s decision to extend the right to marry to same-sex couples did not, in any way, diminish the right to marry’ for the plaintiffs or anyone else,” said Attorney General Doug Chin, quoting the opinion.  

“This is an exciting time for marriage equality in our country, as we await the United States Supreme Court’s ruling that will govern so many other States,” said Deputy Attorney General Deirdre Marie-Iha, who argued on behalf of the defendants.  

“We hope that the United States Supreme Court will recognize, as our Supreme Court did today, that those who oppose marriage equality are ‘harmed not at all when others are given the liberty to choose their own life partners and are shown the respect that comes with formal marriage.’ ”