California’s Supreme Court has declared that gay couples in the US’s most populous state can marry – a monumental but perhaps short-lived victory for the gay rights movement that was greeted with tears, hugs, kisses and at least one instant proposal of matrimony.

Stanley Tookie Williams, co-founder of the Crips street gang, moved a step closer to the death chamber when the California Supreme Court refused to reopen his case in four murders and halt the state’s highest-profile execution since the death penalty was reinstated nearly three decades ago.

In stark contrast to his Hollywood image and the usual inauguration festivities, California Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger planned to take office today with a quick, low-key ceremony and then get to work.