Monday, December 06, 2010

Cameras in the 9th Circuit

Check it out today at 1pm on CSPAN -- it's the oral argument in the Prop 8 case in the 9th Circuit. From the LA Times:

Forget the latest episode of "House." The big TV event on Monday, at least in California, will be the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals hearing on Proposition 8, airing on C-SPAN. A panel of two appellate judges known to have liberal leanings and one with a more conservative reputation will consider the state's ban on same-sex marriage, passed by voters in 2008 but tossed out by a federal judge earlier this year.

We agree with U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker's ruling that found the proposition unconstitutional, and with his finding that gay men and lesbians have historically been targets of discrimination. As such, they are entitled to the highest level of protection from the courts under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution against new laws that seek to strip them of their rights — including the right to marry. We also agree that there was no rational basis for Proposition 8. During the trial, even opponents of gay marriage were unable to articulate any ways in which such marriages would harm those of heterosexual couples, one of the contentions made by the defense. The defense's other claims — that heterosexual couples make better parents and that the purpose of marriage is responsible procreation — also fell apart under the lightest of scrutiny.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:37 AM

    Sex discrimination doesn't warrant strict scrutiny.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12:35 PM

    It's time to stop being politically correct and concerned about people's feelings. The concept of right and wrong still exists. Marriage was not created by people but by God. Homosexual marriage is simply wrong. I don't care how vile and angry people get against me in responding to this comment, but the Lord Yahweh still rules and reigns. Marriage is between one man and one woman.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:12 AM

    12:35- so whaddya saying? God loves all-- except homosexuals? How can you fault someone for falling in love?

    ReplyDelete