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Judge Walker Releases Prop 8 Video, Document Evidence

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Judge Vaughn Walker has released video and document evidence for the Proposition 8 trial on the official web site for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Such things as political ads from the 2008 Proposition 8 campaign are featured, as well as video clips of a “satellite simulcast” in which gay marriage foes talk about defending “traditional marriage.”

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, for example, says same-sex marriage “confuses children” and families find themselves in “awkward situations.”

Full Story from LA Weekly

Click here for gay marriage resources.

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Tags: documents, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage, trial, vieo

Michael Medved: Prop 8 Wasn’t a Ban; Straights Aren’t Better, Just More Good, And Black is the Same as White

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Conservative radio host Michael Medved wants to cleat up a few “gay marriage myths“. We’ll look at a couple here:

The ubiquitous headlines describing this voter-mandated change in the California Constitution as a “gay marriage ban” amount to an egregious example of journalistic malpractice. The entire proposition consisted of only 14 words: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” This simple statement imposes no restrictions and issues no commands regarding the behavior of private citizens; it merely demands a change in the actions of government.

Yes, and before Prop 8 gay men could marry gay men, and lesbians could marry lesbians. After Prop 8, they could not. So how is this not a ban? Fail.

It didn’t discriminate among individuals; it drew distinctions among relationships. Under the proposition, a gay male and a straight male would face exactly the same options in marriage; there is no relationship open to the straight citizen that’s denied to his gay neighbor.

Ah yes, this old chestnut. Gays and lesbians aren’t discriminated against – any gay man can marry any woman he wants. I’m sure this is great comfort to all those gay men and lesbians who are just itchin’ to leave their partners for a little
heterosexual loving. Just like all the straight folks are just waiting for the chance to get a little same sex lovin’. Fail.

Opposition to government sanction of gay marriages isn’t based on the notion that opposite-sex couples are “better,” but on the idea that they are more consequential and serve an important social purpose more effectively.

Um, ok. Some basic English here. How, in Medvedland, is it that “more consequential” and “serve an important social purpose more effectively” does not equal better? Just come out and say it, Mister Medved – you think straight couples are better than gay and lesbian couples. Fail.

Actually, opposition to gay marriage involves the defense of privacy from governmental intrusion, not any sort of intimate assault. The drive to mandate gay marriage demands a vast expansion of governmental involvement into same-sex relationships.

So once again, just like when they didn’t want to allow us to get married while the prop 8 campaign was underway for our own good, to keep gay and lesbian couples from being hurt, it’s now for our own good, to keep the government out of the lives of gay and lesbian people, that Medved and his ilk want to keep us from getting married? Lovely. But no thanks. Fail.

It’s amazing to me how, after such a careful dissection of all the lies and propaganda by Judge Walker, someone like Medved can just start up the ole’ spin machine again and spew it all out brand-new.

So let me say this again, as clearly as I can. My partner and I want to get married because we love each other. We want the same rights and responsibilities that other couples have when they make a sacred commitment to each other. We don’t want your churches, your kids, or even your endorsement. We see what a wonderful thing marriage can be, and we want to be a part of it, not to destroy it, but because our parents and friends and families are all a part of it, and it’s a good thing.

We don’t want to destroy marriage, but to strengthen it.

All we can hope is that, by our example, you will one day come to understand that.

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Tags: decision, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, marriage equality, ruling, same sex marriage

Prop 8 Gay Marriage Day of Decision Rallies

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

See the revised, longer list here:

http://purpleunions.com/blog/2010/08/updated-list-prop-8-gay-marriage-day-of-decision-rallies.html

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Tags: decision, events, federal trial, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, rallies, same sex marriage

Just In: Prop 8 Gay Marriage Decision Due Tomorrow, August 4th

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Just got this from KGO:

Dear J. Scott:

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker will issue a decision tomorrow on the constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage.

Walker’s written order will be released electronically, and will later be available for review at several federal courthouses.

Listen to KGO Newstalk 810 for updates from our news department, who are following this developing story through the day.

If you’d like to subscribe to KGO Breaking News Text Alerts, we’ll let you know as soon as we learn the details of the decision. Just text “newsdesk” to 68255 or browse to http://kgoradio.com/Article.asp?id=606134&spid=17749 Standard message/data rates may apply.

We’ll also be covering the announcement via Twitter, @kgoradio

Thanks for listening to KGO Newstalk 810!

KGO Radio, 900 Front Street, San Francisco CA 94605

Here’s a list of events for tomorrow, the Day of Decision:

–USA, CA, Bakersfield: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Outback Steakhouse, 6 PM. http://bit.ly/cHVRo4 
–USA, CA, Concord: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Willow Pass & Grant, 6 PM. http://bit.ly/9yF81q
 –USA, CA, Contra Costa Co.: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, TBD, 7 PM. http://bit.ly/dhPhyw
 –USA, CA, Los Angeles: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Olvera Street, 10 PM. http://bit.ly/cNCPNV 
–USA, CA, Martinez: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, 822 Main St., 6 PM. http://bit.ly/9yF81q 
–USA, CA, Mountain View: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, City Hall, TBD. http://bit.ly/9KgCFy 
–USA, CA, Palm Springs: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, County Courthouse, 7 PM. http://bit.ly/cHVRo4
 –USA, CA, Porterviile: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, SaveMart Sidewalk, 5 PM. http://bit.ly/9tpy4t
 –USA, CA, Rancho Cucamonga: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Day Crk/Foothill Blvd, 11 PM. http://bit.ly/9DGYOf
 –USA, CA, Richmond: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Civic Center Plaza, 6 PM. http://bit.ly/9yF81q 
–USA, CA, Sacramento: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, 20th Street Between K & L, TBD. http://bit.ly/cbagJy
 –USA, CA, San Francisco: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Castro, 5-6 PM. http://bit.ly/cCWr2p
 –USA, CA, San Jose: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Billy De Frank Comm Ctr, 6 PM. http://bit.ly/bMOt6U 
–USA, CA, San Luis Obispo: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Mission Plaza Amphitheater, 5:30 PM. http://bit.ly/cHVRo4
 –USA, CA, San Mateo: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, 5th & El Camino Real, 6-8 PM. http://bit.ly/91UhgO 
–USA, CA, Santa Ana: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Sasscer Park, 9 PM. http://bit.ly/ddLdAr
 –USA, CA, Ukiah: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Alex Thomas Plaza, 6 PM. http://bit.ly/bxNzci 
–USA, CA, Walnut Creek: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, 1666 N. Main St., 6 PM. http://bit.ly/9yF81q
 –USA, CA, West Hollywood: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, West Hollywood Park, 5 PM. http://bit.ly/9CWB1K 
–USA, CO, Denver: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Colorado State Capitol Bldg, 6 PM. http://bit.ly/ax9eym
 –USA, NY, Rochester: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Downtown, 5 PM. http://bit.ly/buOMYn
 –USA, TX, Austin: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Austin City Hall, 5:30 PM. http://bit.ly/duz9cj
 –USA, TX, Dallas: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Crnr Cedar Springs Rd/Oak Lawn, 6 PM. http://bit.ly/duz9cj 
–USA, TX, Denton: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, Courthouse Square, 5 PM. http://bit.ly/duz9cj 
–USA, TX, Houston: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, City Hall, 5:30 PM. http://bit.ly/duz9cj 
–USA, TX, Houston: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, TBD, TBD. http://bit.ly/aoHt98 
–USA, TX, San Antonio: 8/4, Rally After Prop 8 Decision Announced, City Hall, 6:30 PM. http://bit.ly/duz9cj

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Tags: decision, federal trial, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage

CA: Prop 8 Case May Take Years to Resolve

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

Just hours after Judge Vaughn R. Walker banged the final gavel in the trial of Proposition 8 – California’s same-sex marriage ban – the two top lawyers challenging the law, David Boies and Theodore Olson, were holding court again: this time at a small private dinner with donors in San Francisco.

The meal, with a handful of people who have given money to the group challenging the ban, could well be seen as the opening maneuver in the second act of the saga of Proposition 8, which both sides expect to wind its way up the federal judicial food chain, most likely all the way to the Supreme Court.

“We would immediately appeal,” Andrew Pugno, a lawyer for the proponents of Proposition 8, said when asked if his side were to lose in Judge Walker’s court. The plaintiffs agree.

Full Story from the NY Times

Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

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Tags: analysis, closing arguments, federal trial, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage

CA: Prop 8 Trial Closing Arguments Analysis

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

So, that is over. Well, it is minus the little part about Judge Vaughn Walker issuing his ruling. But both sides – AFER’s Olson-Boies and ProtectMarriage.com’s Charles Cooper – have rested their cases. And even if you’re a supporter of Prop 8, you’ve got to admit: the defense blew it.

In Perry v. Schwarzenegger, it was Olson and Boies, on behalf of their gay couple defendants, who were required to prove their case: That Prop 8 is unconstitutional, was motivated by animus, and must be struck down. They did it. More than adequately. And they didn’t just make the legal argument (which we’re well aware is the most important), but the logical one – how legalizing same-sex marriage won’t keep straight couples from getting married or having kids, and how re-authorizing marriages for gay couples will make more families more stable. And without question, Cooper’s roster of “experts” completely annihilated ProtectMarriage.com’s core arguments. There’s just no way around it; their own witnesses admitted laws like the Defense of Marriage Act, similar in many ways to Prop 8, are discriminatory. And how legalizing same-sex marriage is – wait for it, wait for it – a good thing.

The entire production was an embarrassment for the defense. That is an objective observation. And Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage (which was not a defendant in the case), accidentally confirmed as much in a live chat following Wednesday’s closing arguments.

Full Story from Queerty

Click here for gay marriage resources.

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Tags: analysis, closing arguments, federal trial, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage

CA: Defense Attorney for Prop 8: No Evidence Needed

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Attorney Charles Cooper made his final argument that California’s ban on same-sex marriages should be upheld as constitutional by telling Chief District Judge Vaughn Walker: “Your honor, you don’t have to have evidence for this.”

The judge appeared mildly surprised. But Cooper’s novel argument was in keeping with the minimalist defense he and his legal team mounted to uphold Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage in 2008. During the trial phase in January, the defense called only two witnesses.

In his closing argument Wednesday, Cooper made the case that marriage has traditionally been defined as between a man and a woman. There is no compelling reason to change that today, he said.

Full Story from AOL News

Click here for gay marriage resources.

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Tags: closing arguments, federal trial, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage

Judge Walker Denies Motion to Keep Mormon-Catholic Emails Private

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Closing arguments get underway Wednesday in the Proposition 8 case in California, and attorneys representing the various officials who campaigned for the ban on same-sex marriage were just dealt another blow.

U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker issued an order Friday denying their request to strike from the evidence certain emails that demonstrate how heavily involved Catholic and Mormon church officials were in the Yes on 8 campaign.

The evidence is not necessarily critical as a legal matter. There are many grounds on which Walker can decide the fate of the anti-same-sex marriage law without considering anti-gay religious-based sentiment. But the denial does create a public record that could be embarrassing to Catholic and Mormon church officials. Those officials, particularly with the Mormon Church, have been eager to keep their participation private.

Full Story from Keen News Service

Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

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Tags: catholic church, emails, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, marriage equality, Mormon Church, motion, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage

CA: Judge Walker Prepares Questions for Prop 8 Trial Closing Arguments

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

The federal judge presiding over a trial on California’s Proposition 8 issued a list today of 39 wide-ranging questions to be answered in closing arguments in San Francisco next week.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker is conducting a nonjury trial on a lawsuit in which two couples contend that Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban enacted by state voters in 2008, is unconstitutional. The trial is the nation’s first on a U.S. constitutional challenge to a prohibition on gay marriage.

Walker heard two and a half weeks of testimony in January and has scheduled a daylong hearing on closing arguments on June 16. The queries posed by Walker cover all sides and angles of the case on topics ranging from voter intent and the role of churches in the 2008 election campaign to the definition and purpose of marriage.

Full Story from SF Appeal

Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

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Tags: closing arguments, federal trial, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage