Startling Poll Shows Public Flip on Gays & Marriage: This Week in Prop 8 for 3/28

Stakes were raised this week when Judge Walker ruled that EQCA and the ACLU will have to release a ton of confidential data. EQCA and the ACLU, predictably, were not a...

Stop8.org • Mar 28, 2010

CA poll shows 50% support for same-sex marriage

The creep toward majority support of same-sex marriage in California continues, as a new statewide poll has found that 50 percent of residents of the Golden State now support marriage equality. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, a majority of the state's residents are more likely to support same-sex marriage than to oppose it, with those against marriage equality at 45 percen...

Bay Area Reporter • Mar 25, 2010

Kors: Yes on 8 Campaign's Fishing Expedition: Why We Must Stand Against their Hatred

It's happening again: ProtectMarriage.com and the Yes on 8 campaign are once again harassing organizations that are working to expand the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. In the federal case against Proposition 8, they are requesting tens of thousands of unrelated documents from three organizations that were involved in the No on 8 campaign - Equality California, the Northe...

Pam's House Blend • Mar 24, 2010

ACLU Will Appeal Order In Prop 8 Campaign Doc Challenge

It might make sense to force people to turn over emails to prove a violation of the constitution. But no one is claiming--or could claim--that what the No on 8 committees said or did violated the constitution. We believe the court is wrong on the law and intend to appeal the matter to the federal appeals court...

SFist • Mar 23, 2010

Opponents of gay marriage ban must release memos

The American Civil Liberties Union and Equality California, two of the groups that must turn over the campaign materials, said Monday they are reviewing Walker's order to determine whether to appeal it. The ACLU and Equality California, the state's largest gay rights group, had argued that the campaign documents being sought were irrelevant to the Proposition 8 lawsuit. They also claimed it was u...

Washington Post • Mar 23, 2010

Trial in Same-Sex Marriage Case Is Challenged

The trial took place in January, but Judge Walker has not yet scheduled closing arguments. In the meantime, the defendants and their allies are calling the legitimacy of the proceedings into question. "The plaintiffs put on a spectacular show-trial of irrelevant evidence," Andrew P. Pugno, the general counsel of Protectmarriage.com, the leading sponsor of Proposition 8, said in a blog post. Theo...

NY Times • Mar 23, 2010

Breaking: Judge Walker Rules EQCA and ACLU Must Turn Over Documents in Federal Prop 8 Trial

In a 24-page ruling issued Monday afternoon, Judge Vaughn Walker denied motions by the ACLU and Equality California to overrule an order to turn No on Prop 8 campaign documents to Prop 8 proponents in the federal Prop 8 trial. As LGBT POV previously reported, on March 5, U.S. Magistrate Joseph Spero ordered Equality California, Californians Against Eliminating Basic Rights, an ACLU campaign commi...

LGBT POV • Mar 23, 2010

Fightin' Judges, Untimely Death, and iPhone Apps: This Week in Prop 8 for March 21, 2010

Crazy week! First, there was a storm a-brewin' around normally-dull judicial elections that got much stormier when a pastor turned up dead. The background: Religious leaders who supported Prop 8 are organizing to ...

Stop8.org • Mar 21, 2010

Protest planned for San Diego leg of Mitt Romney's book tour

WHAT: Demonstration at Mitt Romney's Book Signing WHEN: Monday, March 22nd at 6:00 pm WHERE: Deseret Bookstore (meet at S.E. Corner of Nobel Dr. and Villa La Jolla Dr.)...

Chino Blanco • Mar 21, 2010

Lewis v. Harris II: Lambda Legal files motion in New Jersey Supreme Court to uphold marriage equality under state constitution

Lambda Legal represents six same-sex couples in today's motion. The couples have asked the Court to declare that the Civil Union Act violates the state constitution's guarantee of full equality to same-sex couples, and to direct the state to allow them to marry....

Prop 8 Legal Commentary • Mar 18, 2010

Founder of group seeking to elect conservative judges dies of heart attack

Pastor Don Hamer, the founder of a new Chula Vista-based group that is working to elect conservative judges in local elections, died of a heart attack on Wednesday morning, Hamer was pastor of the Zion Christian Fellowship in San Diego and was a leading voice locally for Proposition 8, the initiative passed by voters in 2008 which ended same-sex marriages in California. In December, Hamer founde...

Capitol Weekly • Mar 18, 2010

California candidate for governor aims to reduce abortions, thinks Prop. 8 'settled' marriage

On the issue of same-sex marriage, Poizner voted in favor of Proposition 8 and "believes strongly in traditional marriage." "On marriage the voters of California have spoken pretty resoundingly twice now in the last several years" Chen continued. For Chen and "a lot of people," the marriage issue is "a settled question."...

Catholic News Agency • Mar 18, 2010

This Is Why We Need Cameras In The Prop 8 Courtroom: Judge Walker Walks Out

It's never a good day in court when the judge heads to chambers while you are still arguing for your side. At least Bomse & Co. will not lose sleep wondering which way the judges' decision will go. Bomse is likely glad there were not cameras in the courtroom today. But we aren't....

Business Insider • Mar 18, 2010

Walker's Got Little Patience

Beyond the discovery arguments themselves, I can imagine a few meta-motivations fueling Walker's irritation. First, there is the delay: Walker wants the trial over, like, yesterday, but these discovery issues may put off closing arguments for a while. What Walker regards as a frivolous appeal to Spero's order doesn't help. Also, Walker has been trying to build a full record, the better to withsta...

Legal Pad • Mar 18, 2010

He Was One of the gop's Top Dark-Arts Operators. Now He's Riding Into Battle to Save Gay Marriage -- and Unmask the Mormon Church.

As a political professional, Karger--who for decades worked for one of California's premier campaign consulting firms, a shop that had helped invent modern opposition research--was grudgingly impressed with what the Mormons were doing. "They completely altered the landscape," he says. "They took over every aspect of the campaign." Karger estimates that Mormons ultimately contributed $30 million of...

Mother Jones • Mar 17, 2010

Liveblogging Prop 8 Trial Tuesday Morning 3/16

Judge Walker did not appear to be pleased to be reminded of the several times the Ninth Circuit has overruled his orders in this case, and said "Thank you" and left the bench. Shortly thereafter, the Clerk announced that Court was in recess. Chatting with lawyers afterward, no one seems to think today's activity made a verdict appear any sooner, although there was some discussion that we could ge...

FireDogLake • Mar 17, 2010

Evidence skirmish could delay end of Prop 8 trial

Walker heard more than 90 minutes of arguments Tuesday and said he would issue a written ruling later. Three groups that opposed Proposition 8 are challenging U.S. Magistrate Joseph Spero's order earlier this month requiring them to hand over all documents "that contain, refer or relate to arguments for or against Proposition 8," with the exception of private communications between their core lea...

AP • Mar 17, 2010

Want marriage equality in 2010? There's an application for that

Restore Equality 2010 is using digital signature gathering tools developed by Verafirma, a Silicon Valley technology company. The application allows California voters to sign the petition via an iPhone or iPod Touch, joining the hundreds of thousands of Californians who have already signed paper ballots....

San Diego Gay and Lesbian News • Mar 17, 2010

Gay marriage foes attack Calif. GOP Senate hopeful

U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell's support of same-sex marriages came under attack Monday in a statewide television ad funded by a national group that promotes traditional marriage. Like Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer, Campbell opposed Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot initiative that banned gay marriage in California. The 30-second commercials are funded by the National Organization for Marr...

Mercury News • Mar 16, 2010

At HRC Gala, Kathy Griffin Calls for DADT Protest in DC, de Rossi Now a Post-Prop 8 Activist

Boxer is facing a difficult re-election in this year of antipathy towards incumbents - a campaign that may get harder if her opponent is gay-friend Republican Tom Campbell who has long supported marriage equality and publically opposed Prop 8. However, Campbell also opposes the current federal court case challenging the constitutionality of Prop 8 - he thinks the issue should not be decided in th...

LGBT POV • Mar 16, 2010

New National Organization for Marriage ad targets Campbell, Boxer over Prop 8

In an obvious nod to U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, the National Organization for Marriage has released a new ad attacking her Republican opponent Tom Campbell and incumbent Democrat Barabara Boxer....

Inside, Looking Out • Mar 15, 2010

The San Francisco Marriage Case, Part Two: The Supreme Court

The political consequences of the case haven't gotten much attention, but they may be very important. Particularly if the plaintiffs win, but perhaps in any case, it is going to be very difficult to rally the LGBT community and its progressive allies to go back to the ballot in California while the case is still going on. People are not going to want to invest lots of time and money in an electora...

Huffington Post • Mar 15, 2010

Prop 8 Backers Seek to Take Control Of California Courts

Several Religious Right activists and California state legislators have unveiled a new effort to take control of the court system "across San Diego County and eventually America" via elections through a new organization called "Better Courts Now", arguing that Proposition 8 would not have even been necessary if the state had the proper judges....

Right Wing Watch • Mar 12, 2010

The San Francisco Marriage Case, Part One: Possible Outcomes

There are essentially four possible outcomes in the San Francisco marriage case (Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the case brought by Ted Olson and David Boies): the Big Win, the Smaller Win, the Smaller Loss and the Big Loss....

Huffington Post • Mar 12, 2010

Religious leaders helped secure marriage for gays and lesbians in D.C.

The Rev. Robert Hardies, senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church, worked alongside the Revs. Dennis and Christine Wiley, married co-pastors of Covenant Baptist Church, to organize a multiracial and multi-denominational coalition of faith in support of marriage for same-sex couples. With more than 200 clergy members, the alliance held press conferences and religious services in support of nup...

Edge • Mar 12, 2010

Watch: Prop 8 Case Attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson Discuss Court Cameras, Gay Judge, SCOTUS Votes, and Equality

In the interview with Towleroad's political director Corey Johnson, Boies and Olson discuss where we go from here. They also address concerns from some in the community that the information that Judge Vaughn Walker is gay might have some effect on how the outcome of the trial is spun. Is there a concern that if and when the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, the justices will feel that they ar...

Towleroad • Mar 12, 2010

This Week in Prop 8: Week Ending March 12

Things got a little crazy this week: first there was the deliciously salacious discovery about yet another closeted Republican -- at this point, we can basically just assume that all anti-gay politicians have a fabulous secret -- and then a court ruled that some but not all of the people and organizations that...

Stop8.org • Mar 12, 2010

Prop 8 federal trial update: Court names 'Core Groups' excluded from document order

The court notes that Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors argues that, because EQCA "is a nonparty and because it worked to oppose Proposition 8, its internal campaign communications are not relevant and production would be unduly burdensome. Doc #546 at 7- 10. The ACLU argues the documents proponents seek are irrelevant and privileged. Doc #543 at 11-18." Kors' declaration to the co...

LGBT POV • Mar 11, 2010

Prop 8 federal trial update: Court names 'Core Groups' excluded from document order

The court notes that Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors argues that, because EQCA "is a nonparty and because it worked to oppose Proposition 8, its internal campaign communications are not relevant and production would be unduly burdensome. Doc #546 at 7- 10. The ACLU argues the documents proponents seek are irrelevant and privileged. Doc #543 at 11-18." Kors' declaration to the co...

LGBT POV • Mar 11, 2010

Boies, Olson Voice Prop 8 Optimism

As the attorneys wait to return to Walker's courtroom to make final arguments -- later this month or in early April -- Boies said, "I feel very good" about the outcome at this first stage. Walker, he said, outlined the issues he wanted addressed at trial, and if those remain the questions uppermost in his mind, "we win." The attorneys set out to prove three things, Boies explained -- that the rig...

Gay City News • Mar 11, 2010

Judges get ready for 'big fight' against conservative challenge

Pastor Chris Clark of East Clairemont Baptist Church was involved in the fight to keep the cross on Mt. Soledad and helped rally hundreds of religious leaders statewide for the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign. He saw judicial activism in both cases and Proposition 8 "may have been the straw that broke the camel's back." "It has just reached a head and something needs to be done," he said. "[The ju...

San Diego News Network • Mar 11, 2010

Constituents conflicted over gay legislator

The state senator who represents this Bible Belt region of farms and oil fields was once best known for moments like the one he created on April 2, 2005. Organizing a rally at Bakersfield's Patriots Park, Roy Ashburn stood with evangelical leaders to condemn same-sex marriage as gay-rights advocates shouted him down. "Marriage between one man and one woman is fundamental to civilization," Ashbur...

SF Gate • Mar 11, 2010

Equality California: Groundbreaking legislation announced

Equality California has put together our most ambitious bill package ever, with 13 pieces of legislation designed to ensure equality for LGBT Californians. At a time when all we hear about is gridlock in Washington, D.C., EQCA is aggressively pushing an agenda to continue advancing equality in California. Here are a few highlights of our legislative package:...

Equality California • Mar 9, 2010

Olson and Boies on Same-Sex Marriage

DAVID BOIES: I think one of the things we have in common on this issue is respect for the rule of law, respect for civil rights, respect for the Constitution. I think this is not a liberal or conservative issue. It's not a Republican or Democratic issue. I think conservatives and liberals alike need the Constitution. Conservatives and liberals alike want to keep the government out of regulating ou...

Bill Moyers Journal • Mar 7, 2010

Anti-8 Campaign must reveal internal memos

As this order has no value on the merits of the case, it appears to be purely political in nature. I'm not suggesting that Justice Spero is engaging in judicial activism, but rather this seems to be an order purely to be "fair" so that "both sides can see each others' secrets". But legal proceedings are to be based on the law, not on making both sides happy. "Making everyone happy" is not a stand...

Box Turtle Bulletin • Mar 7, 2010

Court: Calif gay groups must share Prop 8 memos

Spero says Equality California, Californians Against Eliminating Basic Rights, an ACLU campaign committee and an umbrella group that oversaw the campaign against the ban must hand over all documents "that contain, refer or relate to arguments for or against Proposition 8," with the exception private communications between their core leaders....

Mercury News • Mar 6, 2010

This Week in Prop 8: Week Ending March 5

False alarm! Last week's noises about possibly broadcasting the closing arguments of the Prop 8 trial were effectivey squashed. Judges, it would seem, are just a really shy group of people. But that hasn't...

Stop8.org • Mar 5, 2010

Perez calls 2010 Prop 8 repeal effort DOA

In his first press call with LGBT media outlets since being sworn in as the state's first openly gay Assembly speaker, John A. Perez (D-Los Angeles) said that there is "no practical way" to repeal the state's anti-same-sex marriage ban this year. The comments are likely a fatal blow to the fledgling grassroots efforts to place a repeal measure of Proposition 8 before California voters in the fall...

Bay Area Reporter • Mar 4, 2010

Queer Town: Prop. 8 Closing Arguments Still Not Scheduled

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has yet to set a date for lawyers to show up in court to bring it all home with closing remarks. Walker has said he plans to question lawyers during that time. Previous news reports predicted the judge would schedule a day in March....

LA Weekly • Mar 4, 2010

Maine commission's investigation into NOM fundraising practices continues

Nearly four months after Maine voters approved a referendum that overturned their state's law that had allowed gays and lesbians to marry, the National Organization for Marriage continues to stonewall requests for information from a commission investigating its contributions to the successful campaign....

Edge • Mar 3, 2010

Going After the "Movable Middle" on Gay Marriage

But what the report clearly shows is how we lost the "middle voters" - people who don't explicitly support same-sex marriage, but who are persuadable on the issue. The poll asked voters to pick one of four positions: (a) 39% said gay couples should have full marriage rights, i.e., the base; (b) 22% said they should have the "same legal rights" but not call it marriage; (c) 25% said that marriage i...

Beyond Chron • Mar 1, 2010