Stymied, Calif. Gay Activists Rally Grass-Roots Effort

(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»

Court weighs constitutionality of ballot initiative, effect on couples married before the ban

(AP) - California Supreme Court justices heard arguments today on lawsuits seeking to overturn the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage as thousands demonstrated outside the San Francisco courthouse. Gay-rights advocates are urging the court to overturn Proposition 8 on the grounds it was put before voters improperly, or at least prematurely. The measure's sponsors argue that it would be a miscarriage of justice for the court to overturn the results of a fair election. More»

(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»

Calif. AG argues popular vote should not void personal liberties

(NEWSER) - California’s attorney general has reversed position and asked the state’s supreme court to void the ban on gay marriage enacted by voters in November, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Jerry Brown said in a filing yesterday that Proposition 8 is "inconsistent with the guarantees of individual liberty" in the state's charter, and that such guarantees should not be nullified by popular vote. More»