Impatience for the Perry v. Schwarzenegger ruling is reaching a fever pitch, with a rumor spreading on Thursday that drew a small crowd to the courthouse ... only to discover that Walker's chambers were closed.

The excitement was ratcheted up by a ruling in Massachusetts that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional -- a big big deal, since it could eventually spell the end for DOMA (after another few rounds of appeals).

It's not totally clear how that ruling will affect the Prop 8 case. There's no direct connection, but now it's part of a growing body of judicial precedence that form a path for future judges -- including Judge Walker -- to follow.

But it wasn't all good new this week: in Hawaii, the governor vetoed civil unions, saying they give gays too many rights. Ack. There's talk of a boycott, or a buycott, or something else altogether to reach out to the state (which has one of the highest concentrations of Mormons outside of Utah).