 In 1991, three same-sex couples sued Hawaii Director of Health John C. Lewin in his official capacity, seeking to force the state to issue them marriage licenses.After the case was dismissed by the trial court, the couples appealed to the state Supreme Court.In the plurality opinion delivered by Chief Justice Ronald Moon in 1993, the court ruled that while the right to privacy in the Hawaii Constitution does not include a fundamental right to same-sex marriage, denying marriage to same-sex couples constituted discrimination based on sex in violation of the right to equal protection guaranteed by the state's Constitution.