California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told the San Francisco Chronicle's editorial board he backs a court ruling upholding the right of gay couples to marry.

Schwarzenegger tried to clarify his sometimes confusing stance on gay marriage in the wake of Thursday's ruling by the California Supreme Court finding that same-sex couples should have the right to marry in the state, and said that he supports the decision.

First, I have always said that for me, marriage is between a man and a woman, he told the newspaper. But I don't want to make everyone else go in that direction.

Schwarzenegger earlier vetoed legislation that would have overridden the voter-approved Proposition 22, a measure that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. That voter initiative was nullified by the high court decision. The governor explained that veto by saying he didn't think it was right that the Legislature should override a voter referendum.

When the people vote, people are not legal experts, constitutional experts or any of that, he said. I think that's why we have the courts. People may vote with good intentions, but then the court says, 'This is not constitutional.'

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