Calif. Supreme Court Hears Prop 8 Arguments

(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»

(NEWSER) - One of California's biggest and most influential gay rights groups says it will delay a ballot push to overcome the state's ban on same-sex marriage until 2012, the Los Angeles Times reports. Equality California, which led the failed effort to defeat Prop 8 in November, says there is too little time to raise the millions of dollars necessary for a 2010 offensive. More»

Opponents of marriage ban sad but not surprised

(NEWSER) - Supporters of same-sex marriage were disappointed but not surprised by the California Supreme Court’s decision today to uphold Proposition 8, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, as a crowd that had gathered at the state courthouse moved through city streets, blocking traffic and prompting arrest. “This is a serious blow on religious freedom, and it opens the door for discrimination against any minority,” said one of the case’s plaintiffs. More»

(NEWSER) - Gay-marriage proponents in California are taking a page—and some staff—from the Obama campaign in an attempt to swing conservative votes, the Wall Street Journal reports. Many believe Proposition 8 passed because there was little outreach to districts that voted for the ban. “They would fly over from San Francisco once or twice and throw a few leaflets down,” said a lesbian resident of Fresno, in the conservative Central Valley. More»

Banning gay marriage but allowing existing unions will leave couples on 'marriage island'

(NEWSER) - The California Supreme Court's expected decision to uphold a ban on gay marriage but still recognize existing unions will leave the state's 18,000 married gay couples in a strange situation, the Los Angeles Times reports. Couples are relieved that their marriages are likely to survive, but they see legal and emotional confusion stemming from their unique status. "They are likely to be frequently asked to prove that they are married," one legal activist notes. More»