  ::: A Washington, DC judge today dismissed a lawsuit filed by opponents of marriage equality that was aimed at forcing a public vote on the law that passed last month, Washington City Paper reports. The ruling appears to clear away the last hurdle for the law, which can now take effect during the first week in March, after a required 30-day Congressional review period has ended. DC Superior Court Judge Judith N. Macaluso ruled Thursday that a decision by the district’s Board of Elections and Ethics which barred a public vote on the measure was justified. In a
23-page decision [pdf], Maculuso granted a motion for summary judgment filed by the the board, concluding that the board had been correct when it ruled that an initiative would in effect authorize discrimination, and thereby violate the city’s Human Right Act.