BREAKING NEWS: Prop. 8 Goes to Supreme Court
November 19, 2008 by Justin Cole, GLAAD's Director of Digital Media
Breaking news coming in from California.
From the L.A. Times:
The California Supreme Court agreed today to review legal challenges to Prop. 8, the voter initiative that restored a ban on same-sex marriage, but refused to permit gay weddings to resume pending a ruling.
Meeting in closed session, the state high court asked litigants on both sides for more written arguments and scheduled a hearing for next March. The court also signaled its intention to decide the fate of existing same-sex marriages, asking litigants to argue that question.
From National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR):
The lawsuits allege that, on its face, Proposition 8 is an improper revision rather than an amendment of the California Constitution because, in its very title, which was “Eliminates the right to marry for same-sex couples,” the initiative eliminated an existing right only for a targeted minority. If permitted to stand, Proposition 8 would be the first time an initiative has successfully been used to change the California Constitution to take away an existing right only for a particular group. Such a change would defeat the very purpose of a constitution and fundamentally alter the role of the courts in protecting minority rights. According to the California Constitution, such a serious revision of our state Constitution cannot be enacted through a simple majority vote, but must first be approved by two-thirds of the Legislature.
As a note, there will be a liveblog session with the leaders of the No on 8 campaign over at The Bilerico Project tomorrow at 7pm EST. The Liveblog is scheduled for Thursday evening at 7pm EST. You can read more about it by clicking here.
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