While the pundits, legal analysts, and holders of J.D.s pore over the 128 pages of text in the Ninth Circuit Court's decision this morning, we bring you our very favorite arguments for ruling Prop 8. unconstitutional. Presented by the Judges of the Ninth Circuit, in their own pop-culture referencing words: more ›

Gay marriage supporters and anyone with an ounce of common sense and normal human decency are expecting another major turning point in the fight to overturn Proposition 8 tomorrow morning. The decision on whether or not California's ban on same-sex marriages is legal under the U.S. Constitution will be made around 10 a.m. tomorrow morning when the Ninth Circuit Court is scheduled to release their decision. During earlier oral arguments, the LA Times reports, the three-judge panel "appeared to be leaning toward" siding with Judge Vaughn Walker's 2010 decision ruling Prop 8 unconstitutional. more ›

So, yeah. Prop 8. It's still being kicked back and forth around the courts like a bullied gay child on an unfriendly playground, and today it goes back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals after several procedural questions were settled by lower courts this year. Onetime SFister Matt Baume, now vlogging for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, brings us this handy primer (with visual aids!) on where the case has been and where it's headed. Yes, it will likely be punted to the Supreme Court at some point, but when is the big question — and will SCOTUS even care to hear it? more ›

The California Supreme Court ruled today that the sponsors of Proposition 8, the California same-sex marriage ban, are now allowed to defend their anti-gay measure in court, "a ruling likely to spur federal courts to decide the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans." more ›

The California Supreme Court has announced that at 10 a.m. Thursday (tomorrow), they'll be issuing a ruling regarding the standing of the assorted plaintiffs in the appeal to uphold Prop 8. The court is a couple weeks early on this one — most legal wonks expected this in December — and as we discussed earlier, they are more than likely to rule unanimously in favor of allowing the case to go forward to the Ninth Circuit. Let us explain again for those just tuning in. more ›

Today was another big day in court for the backers of Prop 8, who remain unhappy that federal judge Vaughn Walker did not agree with their view that homosexual marriage constitutes a horrible, civilization-destroying movement bent on ruining the blessedness of marriage for everyone. The California Supreme Court today heard arguments on the procedural question that has hung over the case for the past ten months since Walker's ruling came down: Can a few average citizens appeal a ruling regarding a ballot initiative, on behalf of the citizenry, even though the state itself does not care to appeal. As predicted by a number of legal experts, the seven justices all appear to say yes, they can. more ›

Texas Governor and “States' Rights Stalwart,” Rick Perry, signed the National Organization for Marriage’s Pledge in an attempt to further endear his presidential campaign to the rightest voters of 2012. By signing this, all-around-sweetheart Perry vows to support a federal amendment banning same-sex marriage. more ›

In what could be a minor blow to the cause of gay-marriage haters, U.S. District Chief Judge James Ware has notified lawyers in the ongoing Prop 8 battle that he'd like to videotape the hearing on August 29 at which he will be deciding whether to make public the digital video recordings made by Judge Vaughn Walker in the earlier federal trial. Judge Walker hoped to upload and/or live-stream video of the earlier trial, a plan that was quashed by the Supreme Court. It was announced last month that when the Prop 8 appeal hearing comes to the California Supreme Court on September 6, that hearing will be televised. more ›

When the battle over California's same-sex marriage ban heads to the California Supreme Court in San Francisco on September 6, TV cameras will be rolling. SF Appeal notes: "Court spokeswoman Lynn Holton said that because of public interest in the case, the court has approved a live statewide television broadcast of the arguments on the California Channel, a public affairs network." more ›

Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Milk and a board member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, will bring California's same-sex marriage brouhaha to the Great White Way. His new Prop 8 drama will hit the Broadway stage later this year with the title 8. New York Times reports: "Roughly a dozen people from the trial are portrayed as characters, including Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, the lawyers for the two gay couples who sued California over the ban; Charles J. Cooper, the lead defense counsel; Kristin M. Perry and Sandra B. Stier, a lesbian couple who were among the plaintiffs; and the judge, Vaughn R. Walker of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California." more ›

Chief Judge Ware has ruled against anti-marriage ilk, throwing out the inane argument that Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling against Prop 8 was unconstitutional since he is a homosexual." Their complaints, if you recall, were that Judge Walker's ruling "should be invalidated based on the fact that he had a bias in the case, being himself a gay man who potentially wanted to be legally married." more ›

Supporters of Prop 8, who are still fighting a losing battle in the California courts over an unconstitutional law that neither the governor nor the attorney general care to support, are back in federal court today in San Francisco to air their complaints about Judge Vaughn Walker, the man who first ruled that Prop 8 was unconstitutional. Their complaints are that Judge Walker's ruling should be invalidated based on the fact that he had a bias in the case, being himself a gay man who potentially wanted to be legally married; and they have a separate complaint about Walker's use of videos of the trial in public speeches, claiming the video was supposed to be sealed after the trial. more ›

Here's a little taste of the Proposition 8 hearing coming up on Monday in San Francisco -- high-power attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies (conservative and liberal, respectively) just released a video about how the Prop 8 case mirrors the landmark case that legalized interracial marriage, 1967's Loving v. Virginia. The two attorneys (and unlikely allies) talk about how the Loving case set a major precedent for the current fight for same-sex marriage and civil rights. more ›

A new day, a new ruling in California's discriminatory anti-gay law. "A federal appeals court Wednesday turned down a bid by two same-sex couples to allow gay marriages to resume in California while their legal case is pending," reports BCN (via KTVU). "A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a brief order turning down the couples' request that the panel lift a stay of a lower court ruling that allowed same-sex marriages." So, there you have it: no same-sex marriage. For now. more ›

Jerry Brown may have refused to defend Proposition 8 in front of the 9th Circuit and Harris has previously said she would do the same, but today she has gone ahead and taken the next step after slipping in to the former Attorney General's shoes. Today, Harris submitted a petition asking the appeals court to resume allowing same-sex marriage while they continue working through whether or not Proposition 8 was constitutionally legal to begin with. It's not much yet, but we like where her head is at. more ›

After news broke that Obama will no longer defend DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act), Rep. Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco/San Maeo) released the following statement: more ›

Word just came down from the White House that President Obama's administration will,, according to KRON 4 Morning News, "no longer defend a constitutional clause that bans the recognition of same-sex marriage." Which is to say, Obama will not defend DOMA. We'll update as soon as we hear more. more ›

Working with the Human Rights Campaign's New Yorkers for Marriage Equality, former President George W. Bush's daughter Barbara released a video supporting gay marriage in New York. In the video, Barbara Bush, 29, says, "Everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love." more ›

JoeMyGod has some shocking, yet not so surprising, news on the same-sex marriage front: "Pastor Tom Daniels of Rio Linda, California is being held on $6M bail after being charged with multiple felony counts of sexual assault on a child." Lavender Newswire notes that that the Baptist pastor "twice made donations to Protect Marriage, the backers of Proposition 8." more ›

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, an anti-gay and mentally-unhinged traditional marriage activist, argues that the rainbow symbol, once a prism of God or whatever, should be reclaimed by confused proponents of Proposition 8, California's same-sex marriage ban. more ›

Today, the Ninth Court Circuit of Appeals heard the Proposition 8 sponsors appeal U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling that overturned California's voter-approved ban back in August. The petitioners were absolutely hammered by the justices. Bother sides were, actually, but anti-Prop. 8 heathens took it on the chin the hardest. more ›

Though somewhat boring and dry (save the marble walls, which are appropriately stunning), watch the Proposition 8 sponsors appeal U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling right here. more ›

Today, an historic day, is the day when Proposition 8 sponsors appeal U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling that overturned California's voter-approved ban on gay marriage back in August. Hitting a bull's-eye in his ruling, "Walker said the 2008 initiative violated the Constitution's promise of due process and equal treatment." more ›

During Kamala Harris' victory party last night at the Delancey Streey Foundation in South Beach, where she celebrated a narrow win against Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley in the Attorney General's race, she promised some sort of surprise. That apparent surprise, at least for Californians outside the Bay Area, was the announcement that she will not defend Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban. more ›

Start clearing space on the DVR and setting it to record CSPAN now, because the latest round of hearings on Prop 8 gets underway next week and after the list of three, randomly-selected Ninth Circuit Court Judges was announced via the AP today today, it sounds like it's going to make for some interesting TV. more ›

The upcoming appeals court hearing on California’s same-sex marriage ban will be televised. "The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal announced Wednesday that it had granted C-Span permission to carry the Dec. 6 proceedings in San Francisco live, " reports AP. "The decision makes it possible for millions to see firsthand the two-hour hearing set for December 6, said Yousef Robb with the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which opposes Proposition 8." The live telecast will also show future generations a harrowing and shameful moment in California history when unbridled stupidity and prejudice almost wormed its way into the state constitution. [CBS 5] more ›

The Ninth Circuit just announced that on December 6 it will hear the appeal of Judge Walker's ruling that overturned Prop 8, California anti-civil rights amendment barring same-sex marriage. The arguments will start at 10 a.m. In the meantime, here is a map of people in San Francisco who donated to the anti-gay proposition. more ›