Photo by Tracy Clayton

A judge has once again ruled against Bishop Harry Jackson in his quest to put same-sex marriage on the District’s ballot. In a decision handed down by Superior Court Judge Judith Macaluso Thursday, the court found that the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics had properly ruled late last year that such a vote would violate the city’s Human Rights Act. (The full decision can be downloaded here in .PDF.)

The board has twice ruled against putting same-sex marriage to a vote, and this now marks the second time a court has upheld its decision. There are still two more requests for ballot measures before the board, one which would allow District voters to reject the same-sex marriage legislation passed and signed last year, and another that would define marriage in the District as being between a man and a woman. One of the last remaining options for a vote on same-sex marriage would be if Congress passed legislation introduced yesterday by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Ut.), though that also seems unlikely.

UPDATE: Here’s At-large D.C. Council member David Catania’s statement on the ruling:

“I am pleased by Judge Macaluso’s thorough and far-reaching decision to uphold the ruling of the Board of Elections to protect the human rights of the GLBT community. For over 30 years, our Human Rights Act has been one of the most comprehensive statements on equality in the world and reinforces our deep commitment to the universal truths upon which this nation was founded. Today’s ruling, which addressed the substantive legal issues before the court, sustains the District’s tradition of treating all citizens equally under the law. I congratulate the General Counsel to the Board of Elections and the Attorney General for this important victory.”