Court upholds gay judge's ruling on Proposition 8
(CNN) - A federal judge in San Francisco Tuesday upheld a former colleague's ruling on California's Proposition 8, despite questions raised about Judge Vaughn Walker's ability to impartially decide the controversial question of same-sex marriage.
U.S. District Court Judge James Ware backed the original ruling by Walker that the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in the state was unconstitutional.
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Proposition 8 backers: Gay judge's ruling should be thrown out
(CNN) - Supporters of Proposition 8, California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, are asking that a judge's injunction barring the measure's enforcement be thrown out because the judge failed to disclose his involvement in a long-term same-sex relationship.
In August, then-U.S. Chief Judge Vaughn Walker ruled the measure violates the Constitution's equal protection clause. "Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples," Walker wrote in his 136-page opinion.
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Federal appeals court hears Proposition 8 case
(CNN) - Attorneys on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate faced off Monday in a federal appeals court in California, as a panel of judges heard arguments about the constitutionality of Proposition 8.
In August, a federal judge ruled that the voter-approved measure, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, violated the U.S. Constitution. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considered an appeal of that judge's ruling Monday.
The three-judge panel opened Monday's hearing with tough questioning of parties seeking to appeal the decision, including ProtectMarriage.com and Isabel Vargas, who's a deputy clerk and deputy commissioner of civil marriages for Imperial County, California, where voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 8.
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Decision on stay expected in California same-sex marriages case
Prop. 8 opponents celebrate the ruling to overturn the same-sex marriage ban on August 4 in California.
Los Angeles, California (CNN) - A federal court in California will rule Thursday on whether to keep a temporary stay in place in the case that overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriages.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California will announce its decision between 9 a.m. and noon (12 p.m. and 3 p.m. ET).
If the stay is lifted, same-sex marriages will be legal in California.
Last week, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage, ruling that voter-approved Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution.
Borger: Super-lawyers win big in Prop 8 case
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/05/art.borger.6.cnn.jpg caption =" Gloria Borger says lawyers were the big winners in California’s Proposition 8 case."]Editor's note: Gloria Borger is a senior political analyst for CNN, appearing regularly on CNN's "The Situation Room," "AC360°" and "State of the Union," as well as participating in special event coverage.
(CNN) - The thing that is hard to miss in Ted Olson's Washington office are the quills. They're in a mug, all 56 of them, each commemorating an appearance before the Supreme Court. In many of those cases, he was the standard bearer for conservatives. And a successful one; he won 44 times.
In fact, one of his most satisfying and famous wins was against Al Gore, the Democrats and super-attorney David Boies in the contested 2000 election. Olson represented George W. Bush.
The rest, as they say, is history. Olson won, Boies lost. That is except in the movie "Recount," as they both joked to me. Boies won the docudrama.
On Wednesday, the two men won, this time together.
California gears up for ruling on same-sex marriage
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/04/art.prop8sign.0804.gi.jpg caption =" A federal judge in California is expected to issue his ruling Wednesday on whether the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional."](CNN) - A federal judge in California is expected to issue his ruling Wednesday on whether the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
The closely watched case, to be decided by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, comes some two years after Californians voted to pass Proposition 8, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Wednesday's ruling, expected in the early afternoon, will decide whether that ban violates the U.S. Constitution by creating separate classes of people with different laws for each.
Will Prop 8 ruling have an impact on other states?
Protesters make their case at an anti-Proposition 8 rally in east Los Angeles, California, on May 26, 2009. (PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images)
Washington (CNN) - While closing arguments have ended in California's Proposition 8 trial - a case that will determine the constitutionality of California's same-sex marriage ban - the outcome may not have an impact on states considering similar legislation.
The reason: State budget crises and the upcoming elections have shifted the focus from social issues to fiscal stability, which will sidetrack same-sex marriage legislation in other states, a policy expert said.
"I have also seen this issue pushed aside since the recession started. States are just so focused on budgets and the shortfalls," said Christine Nelson, a program director at the National Council of State Legislatures. "I had a legislator tell me 'Are you kidding? Our state needs money and job creation. So why in the world would we be tackling that?' "
Nelson, who follows the issue of same-sex marriage, said there's been very little legislative activity this year, which she attributes to a year where most legislators are up for re-election.
"I talked to advocates last fall and I said what are you expecting this session? And they said 'Oh, nothing, it's an election year' - no one's going to touch these issues."
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