West Hollywood Mayor John Duran has called Thursday's California Supreme Court ruling on Prop 8 a “minor setback.”

Duran, who is openly gay, told the West Hollywood Patch that the decision was “on the procedure more than the substance.”

The latest skirmish in the ongoing legal battle for gay marriage in California found that Proposition 8 backers have legal standing to defend the 2008 voter-approved amendment in federal court. The ruling significantly increases the likelihood that the case will reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Gay marriage supporters on Thursday attempted to spin the loss into a win, arguing that the ruling puts the case back on track.

“I anticipate that we will probably prevail,” Duran said.

“Given that 37 percent of our population is LGBT, whenever there is a court decision, we respond, because it affects so many of our residents,” he added. “We've been carefully watching all of the legislation involving this.”

Over 1,000 marriage licenses were issued to gay and lesbian couples by the city of West Hollywood in 2008 before Proposition 8 outlawed such unions.