The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics today rejected an initiative petition on the issue of legalizing same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia. The petition was filed by an anti-same-sex marriage coalition led by Bishop Harry Jackson.

In an opinion released today, the Board made much the same argument that it did in a previous decision that barred a popular referendum on the matter of recognizing same-sex marriages that are performed legally in other jurisdictions. In both decisions, the Board held that such ballot measures do ‘not present a proper subject of initiative because it would authorize discrimination prohibited under the Human Rights Act (“HRA”).’ You can download the entire decision here.

The Board’s reasoning in today’s decision also turns on the existing law established by the Jury and Marriage Amendment Act of 2009, the one that allows the District to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. The relevant passage:

Under current law, the District recognizes same-sex marriages validly performed in other jurisdictions. The proposed Initiative seeks to prohibit the District from continuing to recognize these same-sex marriages. The Initiative instructs that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in the District of Columbia.” If passed, the Initiative would, in contravention of the HRA, strip same-sex couples of the rights and responsibilities of marriages currently recognized in the District.

In other words, Jackson’s petition would both violate the HRA in the same way that his previous petition would have, as well as it would violate the HRA specifically in its relation to the existing marriage recognition law.

Jackson’s group, which has gained the support of the Archidiocese of Washington, will undoubtedly appeal the BOEE’s decision, just as they did in the previous referendum effort. In that case, D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith Retchin upheld the Board’s decision.

MORE: Here’s the statement from Council member David Catania (I-At large):

“At the time of its passage, the District’s Human Rights Act was one of the most comprehensive statements on equality in the world. For over 30 years, we have endeavored to perfect and expand our understanding of equality,” said Catania. “The proposed initiative would have stripped legally married same-sex couples of their vows. Those who proposed the initiative were attempting to write discrimination into our law, and I am pleased that the Board rejected this effort as an impermissible trespass on the human rights of District residents.”