The San Francisco 2004 same-sex weddings took place between February 12 and March 11, 2004. Newly-elected San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom gained international attention and attracted controversy when he issued a directive to the city-county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Newsom claimed the California Constitution's equal protection clause as his authority to do so, and decided to perform the marriages after hearing President Bush's State of the Union address. On February 20, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered state Attorney General Bill Lockyer in writing to "obtain a definitive judicial resolution" of the controversy. Lockyer responded saying that he had not taken a stance on the issue, that the letter did not specifically direct Lockyer to sue San Francisco, a