More on the Trial

Thus far, the case has proceeded roughly as one might expect based on SG Olsen's opening statement. Testimony by witnesses for the plaintiffs has focused on the emotional harm that the witnesses feel as a result of not having their views regarding same sex marriage legally validated by the state constitution. For those interested in more closely following the case, further information can be found at other blogs on the internet. In particular, there is the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) blog here -

http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/3618

There's also an interesting piece on the "vote again until you get it right" mentality that seems to pervade the minds of those who support same-sex marriage at this location here -

http://www.ruthblog.org/2010/01/12/the-prop-8-trial-and-the-new-theory-of-politics/

Hollingsworth v. Perry

When getting everything ready for Perry v. Schwarzenneger, one of the things that Judge Walker had decided that he wanted to do was to broadcast the trial and also make it available for viewing over the internet. Ninth Circuit rules forbid this, but there has been some discussion among the members of the circuit toward changing this. Walker evidently decided that this case would be the case that was recorded and broadcast. In this particular instance, he wanted to broadcast the trial to other Federal courthouses around the country, and he also made arrangements to place recordings of the trial on the internet, including on the website YouTube.

Olsen and Perry v. Schwarzenegger

Ted Olsen is one of the individuals arguing the plaintiff's case in Perry v. Schwarzenegger. He's put his prepared opening statement remarks online. Based on them, it's possible to make certain guesses about where he plans to go. There are also a couple of other items in his statement that are worth pointing out.

- From my understanding of the plaintiffs' claims, the key point that the plaintiffs intend to make is that the backers of Proposition 8 were motivated by bias and that bias taints the entire Proposition

California Supreme Court Says the Sky is Green

In 1990, if you had told the average person (including myself) that one of the most divisive issues of the first decade of the Twenty-First Century would be same sex marriage, you probably would have been laughed at. I know that for me personally it wasn't even a blip on the radar of possibilities. But here we are twenty years later and it is one of the most high-profile social issues of our day. Ten years ago, California voters overwhelmingly voted to ban same sex marriages - pre-emptively dealing with the issue just as people started to become aware that this was a potential hot-button. Two and a half years ago, the California Supreme Court finally issued an opinion on the voice of the people (justice moves swiftly here in California, after all).