Obama-Driven Minority Turnout Fueled Marriage Ban

(NEWSER) - Protesters around California are gearing up for tomorrow's state Supreme Court session on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the voter referendum that banned gay marriage, the Los Angeles Times reports. The decision isn’t due for 3 months, but the opinion is already written, and the court's stand may be revealed in the judges' responses to oral arguments, which will be televised. More»

Group sets out to register the poor

(NEWSER) - Nestled in the housing bill President Bush signed yesterday is an acronym Republicans don’t like one bit: ACORN. The Wall Street Journal reports that the group is among the many housing-related nonprofits the bill hands cash to, but Republicans grumble that it does more than housing. It’s also co-managing a $15.9 million voter registration campaign aimed at low-income Hispanics and African Americans–in other words, likely Democratic voters. More»

Prop. 8 backers ask appeals court to review its decision

(NEWSER) - Legal wrangling has once again put gay marriage on hold in California. A federal appeals court panel's 2-1 decision to overturn the state's ban on same-sex marriage would have allowed gay marriages to resume as soon as next month, but the sponsors of Proposition 8 have asked the full appeals court to reconsider the ruling, reports the Christian Science Monitor . Same-sex marriages will now be on hold at least until the court decides whether to accept or reject the request for review. More»

Prop 8 ruling is limited to California, providing a potential reason to skip

(NEWSER) - Kevin Drum at Mother Jones thinks today's court decision declaring California's ban on gay marriage to be unconstitutional is "great news" for sure, but he's not getting too excited just yet. Most people think this one is headed to the Supreme Court, where it looks like Anthony Kennedy will once again provide the swing vote, and "the betting money says this will get overturned 5-4," writes Drum. He also notes that the ruling is "very narrow" and limited to California. More»

Declares Prop 8 unconstitutional, paving way for Supreme Court decision

(NEWSER) - A big win for gay rights in California, at least for now: In a 2-1 decision, a federal appeals court ruled that the state's ban on gay marriages is unconstitutional. Supporters of Proposition 8, which limits marriage to a man and a woman, plan to appeal, paving the way for a Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage as early as next year, reports the Los Angeles Times . More»