Before everyone drops into a deep swoon over the California Supreme Court’s decision “allowing” gay marriages, it might be worthwhile to read the entire 121-page decision to discover that it changes, well, practically nothing.

California already has extensive laws granting same-sex couples virtually the same rights as opposite-sex couples. The 4–3 majority recognized that fact but said the “substance” of the laws didn’t really matter. “The question we must address is whether . . . the failure to designate the official relationship of same-sex couples as marriage violates the California Constitution.”