An Omen in the Prop. 8 Battle?
Many fear that a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court may be an omen on how the court might rule if the legal battle over Proposition 8 arrives in Washington. The 5-4 decision ruled that Internet streaming of the Prop. 8 trial in San Francisco would cause a hostile public climate toward anti-gay marriage advocates.
Many fear that a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court may be an omen on how the court might rule if the legal battle over Proposition 8 arrives in Washington. The 5-4 decision ruled that Internet streaming of the Prop. 8 trial in San Francisco would cause a hostile public climate toward anti-gay marriage advocates. –JCL
Rock Solid JournalismLos Angeles Times:
The U.S. Supreme Court cast its first vote last week on the legal challenge to California’s voter initiative barring same-sex marriage, and some experts said it was a bad omen for those who hope gays and lesbians will win a constitutional right to such unions.
The 5-4 decision, with conservatives in the majority, intervened in the San Francisco district court trial on behalf of the defenders of Proposition 8.
The high court rebuked U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker for seeking to give the public a chance to view the proceedings on the Internet. In its opinion, the majority saw the dispute through the same lens as the opponents of gay marriage and decided that they — not homosexuals — faced a hostile public climate of harassment and intimidation.
The lawyers challenging the California measure hope to build a convincing case that gays and lesbians, like other minorities, suffer from prejudice and bigotry that requires a remedy from the courts.
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